


How Far Are We Falling?

by Velocity_Owl87



Category: One Direction (Band), Zayn Malik (Musician)
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Aftercare, Alpha Louis, Alpha Zayn, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Artists, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Artist Zayn, Eventual Romance, Falling In Love, Idiots in Love, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mean Zayn, Medical Conditions, Mentions of miscarriage, Multi, Older Liam, Older Zayn, Omega Harry, Omega Liam, Omega Niall, One Night Stands, Past Abuse, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Drug Use, Past Infidelity, Past Relationship(s), Pining Liam, Pregnant Sex, Recreational Drug Use, Slice of Life, Strangers to Lovers, Teacher Liam, Teacher Louis, Travel, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unrequited Crush, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-05-23 05:39:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 47,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6106693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Velocity_Owl87/pseuds/Velocity_Owl87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam's an older and very much single Omega torn between giving up on love and a mating and working as a teacher in a small Northern Canadian town that is starting to slowly drive him mad. If it wasn't for his mate Louis, he'd probably already be there. Desperate to expand what is basically a dating puddle and be with someone, Liam decides to travel to Ireland and try his luck. </p><p>Zayn is a brilliant up and coming artist that is starting to get too close to self destructing and at his mate Ed's advice, he decides to hide out in Ireland and get his shit together.</p><p>One chance encounter in a secret bookstore and a pub, an awkward recitation of a Yeats poem, and an ill-timed heat later ties Liam and Zayn together for a week and both go their own ways, sure they won't see or hear from each other again. </p><p>Except that it isn't quite as neat as that in the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hope is a Thing With Feathers...It Has To Be Or I'm Doomed

**Author's Note:**

> So...This is my first foray into this fandom and I've had this idea kind of nagging at me for a bit so I decided to just roll with it. I like the idea of these two meeting in a different case scenario and going with that, since there's less constraints and more room to play with.
> 
> Also, I've heard pretty decent things about Ireland, so I figured that meh, why not make it the holiday spot to go to.
> 
> Proofed and edited and if there are mistakes, they will be fixed. Title is from Iwan Rheon's "You Are In Me"

_Liam-Northern Canada_

“So you’re actually going to go to Ireland next month for the April break?” Louis asked his friend and co-worker Liam as they stood around the kettle and waited for it to come to boil before the bell rang. They had only five minutes left of the morning break and were holed up in Liam’s classroom where he had a kettle and loads of tea so that he didn’t have to go to the less than welcoming staff room. Louis also hated the staff room and seemed to run on Yorkshire tea, so it became their default meeting spot.

“Yes? Is that bad or something?” Liam asked a bit worriedly. He had done his research, but he also tended to doubt himself.

Louis barked out a laugh as he lightly touched the surface of the kettle to test if it was hot enough, the sound loud in the near empty classroom, but yet again reminding Liam why they had abandoned any idea of making the staff room a hangout spot once the kettle and mugs had been procured. Apart from filling the kettle, it wasn’t necessary as a social spot.

“Well, no. Heard it was lovely. Very friendly, but it’s going to cost you a bit of bank, Li.”

Liam sighed and shrugged his shoulders at that. He knew it was going to be pricey. He had already planned a trip to Spain, but the savings he had accumulated the year before would take care of that. He frowned at the kettle and looked up at Louis, who was still watching the water boil, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, which didn’t bother Liam that much nor did it make him feel like he had to fill the silence with meaningless conversation.

They both hated to make awkward small talk with the other staff members that seemed far removed from the experiences that Louis and Liam shared and had opted to basically stick together as much as possible due to this. Both were transplants from the UK: Louis from South Yorkshire and Liam from the Midlands. Both loved football and although Louis didn’t quite share Liam’s enthusiasm for comic books, he would goodnaturedly tolerate his ramblings about them. Just like Liam would tolerate Louis ramblings about the music he was writing.

It wasn’t quite a perfect partnership, since they did tend to get on each other’s nerves and had their off days, since Louis tended to be just a bit too sarcastic for Liam sometimes. Or Liam tended to be, in Louis’ words “Slightly duller than dishwater” when it came to cutting loose whenever there was a staff gathering that involved a bit of alcohol and late hours. He wasn’t averse to them, since he liked the people that held these gatherings well enough.

He just wasn’t keen on drinking and making a fool out of himself in front of people he didn’t trust. Louis always had a good handle on his liquor and never had that worry that Liam had and didn’t always understand Liam’s reticence about the situation. At least he didn’t tease him horribly or judge him. Much.

Or make remarks about it being his Omega nature coming out in full force, like his ex-Alpha used to do whenever Liam would ask to leave early and go home. Liam figured that was the reason why they hadn’t lasted long. That and the fact that he had once punched Liam and then pushed him hard enough for his head to go through the sheetrock of the wall after an argument. Louis had hustled him out of that flat and relationship pretty damned fast.

It had also been the last real relationship that Liam had been in. Sure, he had had flings and other Alphas helping him through his heats. But none had ever decided to stay and the knowledge of not being a good Omega stung him deeply. It did hurt, like an old break in bad weather, but most of the time, he didn’t dwell on it.

Or at least tried to. But he was only human and the unpleasant realization that perhaps he was going to either (a) end up a washed up Omega teaching in the middle of nowhere until he went batshit insane or (b) mated to someone that he couldn’t stand just so that he could have kits or (c) get himself on the state Alpha lottery, get pregnant, and live in the Omega quarters. These options rankled and they did truthfully keep him up at night. There were some pretty brutal nights that Liam didn’t quite want to think about in the light of day, since it made him moody and pretty dour.

Even more so if Louis came back from a visit with Harry and inadvertently rubbed his mated bliss into Liam’s face. It wasn’t on purpose, Liam knew that despite his quirks, Louis was a decent Alpha, but he did miss his Omega something awful as well. Those brief, sweet moments were the ones that kept Louis going through the shit that they took daily and Liam found that he couldn’t begrudge him that.

Well, not that much.

“I mean,  I know the exchange rate is utter shite at the moment, but I need to do _something_ if I want to get some action. It’s not like it’s going to happen here anytime soon. Besides, it seems that it’s getting obvious. I’ve been getting more unsolicited remarks about being mated than the usual obnoxious number.”

Liam grumbled, making Louis laugh ruefully as he expertly shut off the battered teapot that was a loan from a colleague. A beta named Jesy that Liam had worked with at a previous posting. She was warm enough, but there was always something that had left him cold about her and left him quite reticent about developing a close friendship with her. Not like the friendship he had had with his mate Niall in Singapore. (He still smirked whenever he recalled how Niall’s girl had accused them of sleeping together, since they were that close. Wasn’t true, since Niall was a one Alpha Omega and didn’t swing that way. But people still tended to think that whenever they saw them together). Or the near relationship he had with Fernando Torres last year.

That one still made him wince, since in Liam’s eyes, they were well suited to be each other’s mates. It also made him wince since he felt like it had been his last chance to hopefully find a mate and he had blown it. They both had the same off beat humour, liked comics and Harry Potter as well as football and complicated fantasy series. They both had been disappointed in love before and understood each other fairly well. It should have worked, since they were the only eligible Alpha and Omega in the town they worked in at the moment.

The problem was that _Liam_ himself didn’t fit into what Fernando expected in an Omega. Too old, too big, too masculine and too Beta or at a stretch, too Alpha like for what Fernando wanted out of Omegas. That unspoken rejection had stung and had taught Liam to bury any hopes he had maintained about having a mate this late in life.

The problem was that he wanted kits still. Most Omegas (Including Niall) were already raising kits by their mid thirties. Liam had held out hope that it was going to be the same for him. He had been close to fulfilling that dream earlier in his life, but...It hadn’t happened and now he had been looking at possibly contracting a state Alpha for his heat and possible breeding. That had been the impetus for him taking the job he was unfortunately stuck in at the moment. He only wanted to have something to do and hopefully more money against a nest egg when his name and number were finally called up in the Alpha lottery. A lottery that he had been warned would take maybe a year for him to get his name called on, according to the doctor that he had seen to get a referral.

So he had taken the job, even though it meant moving back to the middle of nowhere and dealing with the fact his title was more or less empty and that it was more part-time wrangling and classroom management than actual teaching. He had seen it before, hell, he and Fernando had basically bitched about their jobs being just that the entire year that they had been in Northern Manitoba. Liam figured that it was going to be similar, maybe a bit better than what he had found in Manitoba.

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

It had been an uphill battle at the beginning of the year. The pay was low as per Quebec’s shite standards and his last employer playing bullshit games with his seniority. The student’s had basically been screwed over by so many previous teachers and policies it was a mess trying to get them up to level. Social promotion had been a rampant reason for them being moved up. He was pretty sure that three kids were illiterate. At least there had been enough interludes and hanging out with Louis to make it bearable.

Then February came and both Liam and Louis were at the their wit’s end. Their students had made apathy into an art form and Liam couldn’t help but to comment, over and over again, at the crap standards that seemed to get lower and lower by the week. Louis could only shrug and shake his head and give him tight-lipped grimaces. His own kids were no better at times and they both had used sick days as breaks from work. Liam himself made sure to not stay a minute longer than he had to at work and was isolating himself from most of the other staff. Only Louis was his constant, since they hit the gym pretty often and hung out at least two nights out of the week.

“I get it. I mean, I at least have Harry coming by soon. I got a mate and I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it is for you being alone AND dealing with this day in and day out. Especially the sexual harassment. ” Louis replied as he fixed up his tea the way that he liked it and perched himself on one of the badly scarred desks that looked more and more weathered despite Liam knowing it was probably not that old.

Liam scrunched his nose at that. Yet another thing that made him both baffled and annoyed was the constant sexual commentary by some of the would be Alpha students. Some, he was sure were Betas trying to act tough and he tried to not pay much attention to the comments or the sexual noises that they tended to make while standing at his classroom door. A door that had seen so much abuse Liam was sure it would need replacing for next year.

He took a sip and looked at Liam over the rim of the cup. “You did file reports on that, yeah?”

Liam nodded and took a sip of his tea, which wasn’t as black as the pit as Louis liked to drink.

“Of course. Always have a paper trail, yeah?”

Louis made a face at that. They did more paperwork at this school than in other places he had ever worked at. He understood they had to back up any action, but it was still a pointless and wasteful activity in their eyes. Especially since it didn't really do anything to permanently fix the problem.

 Liam's eyes went to the desk Louis was sitting on and he remembered his old high school that had one desk that was so old, it had band names like Asia and Supertramp etched on it from like back in the eighties or something. He frowned at the memory and focused on fixing his tea just right and making the appropriate noises as Louis waxed rhapsodic about his Omega, who was going to show up in two days’ time. He only half-listened and it was mainly for his own sanity.

But at least they weren’t talking about work, which was the main reason why Liam encouraged him and listened. Even if it wasn’t as attentively as usual. But luckily the bell rang and they both had to get to back to work, promising to see each other at the gym once work was done.

Liam saw him off and ignored the usual annoying questions of “Is Louis your mate?”  that the baby Alphas and insecure Betas yelled out at him as they entered his classroom.

He only snorted at them and quashed down the small bitter voice in the back of his head that would have loved to answer _“Yes.”_

Louis wasn’t quite his ideal, but they got along quite well and there was a chemistry of sorts there that Liam never wanted to address. Maybe if Louis hadn’t been mated so young and his age, maybe he would have taken the chance. But Louis was and he loved Harry madly, so that was the end of that wishful thinking.

As it was, class was starting and his students were now getting their notebooks and pencils from the jar in the desk while Liam waited for stragglers before closing the door and turning to the chalkboard (Yeah, he still couldn’t get that either, but decided to not question anything unless he wanted his head done in more than it already was) where the day’s lesson was clearly printed out.

He cleared his throat, put down his cup on his desk and tried to infuse some enthusiasm for poetry vocabulary to a group of ten Alphas and Betas who wanted nothing more than to sleep or talk to each other.

Still, Liam pasted a smile on his face and forced himself to ignore the interruptions like always and teach the three kits that were showing a glimmer of interest. It was a small piece of hope and Liam clutched at it with both hands.

April Break couldn’t come quickly enough.

_Zayn-Camden, London_

He woke up with sunlight desperately trying to drill a hole into his skull. The hangover is of epic proportions and he whimpered in pain as he turned over in bed and rested his forearm against his eyes to ease his splitting headache. He really needed to cut back, he told himself for what felt like the thousandth time. But it was his latest gallery opening, which was a much needed success and he couldn’t help but to celebrate. And then Perrie showed up and...

He groaned as memories of the night before flashed through his mind as he struggled to sit up and then stumble towards the bathroom. He felt a wave of nausea as he recalled the boozy ride of success that had abruptly turned when he and Perrie got into a screaming match at the club before he was hauled off by good old dependable Ed, who had gotten some booze and put him to bed? He was fuzzy about that last bit.

Blearily, he looked at the virulently green post it note (did he really own something that bright? Was it just an odd impulse buy? He hoped so) and the messy writing that filled in some blanks.

_“Zayn-As your mate, you need to take a fucking break. You’re starting to fray and if you don’t slow down, you’re going to unravel altogether. Get out of London. Go home. Go to Ireland and commune with nature in Galway or something. Go out and get your Alpha aggression out. But just go or there will be less of you to get home. There’s paracetamol and water on your nightstand.  Call me when you’re human again. Ed.”_

Zayn scowled at the note and tore it off clumsily, crumpling it up in his hand and tossing it in the general direction of the rubbish bin before turning on the tap and looking at himself in the mirror. He looked like exactly how Ed had described him-Frayed.

His eyes were too large in his sharpened face, his skin was sallow and sickly and his hair was a greasy mess of grown out dye. His five o’clock shadow was more of a ten o’clock scruff and his lips were dry and cracked. He seriously looked haunted and malnourished and despite his anger at Ed’s mother henning, he knew that his friend was right. He needed to take better care of himself if he wanted to actually make a legacy in the art world and not end up another brilliant, yet unstable and imploding genius.

First things first though. His headache wasn’t as bad and that gave him enough time to get his toothbrush and toothpaste out and scrub last night’s taste of alcohol and cigarettes away. He jumped in the shower after and once he didn’t smell like a sweaty dumpster, grabbed the paracetamol and knocked it back with the water. He got dressed and checked his mobile.

Nothing nasty in the messages from his agent or from anyone else, other than tactfully voiced words of concern about his lifestyle.

The voicemails were pretty much the same except for one from Perrie, who told him he was an utter bastard and to stay away. He winced at that before he erased it, but he couldn’t deny she was right. They had to stay away from each other. They were too volatile to actually work in the long term in the mating bond she as an Omega so desperately wanted and they were not good together. He could see that now.

Ed and Taylor, for example, never had those intense blow-outs and passionate make up sessions over and over again like he and Perrie had. Nor had Ed ever cheated on Taylor like Zayn had (and god did he hate having to admit that he was a cheater). No. Ed and Taylor were a steady couple who did have their arguments and fights, but always managed to weather them with some sort of grace that Zayn deeply envied and resented at the same time.

And now, after erasing the messages and checking out the favourable reviews for his show, Zayn had to admit that he needed to take a breather and get his priorities in order. He wasn’t close to spiraling out of control, but it was close enough for him to touch the incline.

Sighing heavily, he put his mobile down and padded over to his laptop.

He had to see exactly what it was that Ireland had to offer.


	2. I'll Never Know What Came Over Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam's had some time in Dublin, enjoying the sights and accidentally bumping into an Alpha and confusing himself in the bargain. He doesn't let that slow him down from his focus and he goes out on the town to find an Alpha. 
> 
> An Alpha that ends up being the one that he had bumped into earlier. An Alpha that has the exact objective as Liam in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must confess to using a lot of travel sights and picking my friend's brains for the stuff mentioned here. I'm going to Ireland myself soon, so apologies if I really screw up stuff. I'll fix it once I see it myself. 
> 
> Proofed and edited, but if there are errors, they will be fixed up. 
> 
> Chapter title (and another song for the soundtrack, I guess) is I'll Never Know, by Tim Finn.

_Liam-Dublin, Generator Hostel._

“So is it everything that I told you it would be?” Niall asked Liam as they Skyped while Liam got ready to go down to the pub attached to his hostel. He had a pretty good idea as to where that was,since the music was loud and he could see people standing around smoking or scurrying by. It looked like it was a busy night and he was sure that he wasn’t going to have a problem striking up a conversation. He somehow always ended up talking to people wherever he went.

It was the initial start up that he had problems with. But the people he had come across had been super friendly and even more gregarious than even Niall, so he hadn’t been lacking for conversation even though he had only been there for three days.

One of those days had been spent wandering around Trinity College and the library, since Liam had had a hankering to see the Book of Kells since he had first come across it in some pedantic textbook that was required reading in his history class. It had been something that he thought he wouldn’t have been able to do when he was struggling to get a teaching position and paying off student loans and other bills. Seeing it on display had brought home the fact that he had finally achieved so many goals that he had set for himself as a teen. It cheered him up despite getting him a bit emotional (something he hoped was one off. His heat _was_ late, but with it being so irregular, he figured he had a couple of weeks at least) in a museum.

Liam had, after that, wandered around the city, meandering near the Ha’penny bridge, the Guinness storehouse and even Dublin Castle and taking pictures for Louis, Niall, and the rest of their friends and his family could enjoy. He had even wandered down to St. Stephen’s Green and stayed there, just enjoying the atmosphere and soaking it all in.

He looked at the buildings and just enjoyed up the vibe of the city, which was vibrant and stately at the same time. It gave him a certain optimism that he hadn’t had when he was living in the stultifying backwater where his job was and he wondered if after this hols, he’d be able to suck it up and finish the year without wanting to slit his wrists over the stagnation and apathy that hovered like a miasma above the town.

He had gotten the usual souvenir bits and bobs and had eaten out in a pub, while listening to the locals spin out stories of Dublin and the surrounding counties. He was sure that he had even gotten a few interested glances from a few betas and alphas here and there. But he had been a bit overwhelmed and hadn’t really responded to the overtures.

Or maybe it was the stunning, hazel-eyed Alpha he had seen while browsing through the Secret Book and Records store, a place aptly named, since he had passed by it twice before he had finally seen the barber pole. The place was a veritable treasure drove of old books, records and nostalgia in over-stocked shelves and in piles practically everywhere. There was very little room that was not covered in old posters, bookshelves and comics.

Liam sighed happily, not sure what to look at. The scent of old paper and parchment was almost overwhelming and he gave the shelves a quick scan for a couple of books he had been meaning to get. The mood in the bookstore was peaceful and comforting, aided by what he recognized as Crowded House's greatest hits. He smiled inwardly as he went to the fiction and literature while “I'll Never Know” was playing in the background, making him unconsciously hum along as he looked through the classics and the hidden gems of Irish literature that he hadn't seen outside of the expensive University bookstores in his hometown.

He had reached out to take the book out of the shelf and accidentally jabbed someone in the back, making them yelp out in surprise. This made Liam turn around clumsily and get the the other person's hand on his chest when they did the same.

“Oh! Oh! My God! I'm so sorry!”

Liam gasped out blushing hotly when he saw that it was a gorgeous Alpha that he had accidentally jabbed with his elbow. An Alpha that was slightly taller than him, with dark hair and hazel gold eyes. He was... Practically everything that Liam had ever dreamed of having in an Alpha.

It would have been a perfect meet-cute if it wasn't for the fact that said gorgeous Alpha was a _pissed off_ Alpha. His eyes were narrowed and he was looking at Liam as if he wanted to deck him or yell at him, but hadn't made up his mind as to what exactly he should do. His Alpha scent was strong and Liam almost felt light headed at the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg that he was putting off.

It made Liam chirp a bit in the back of his throat and to his own horror, he was also emanating his own crisp macintosh apple scent in response to the Alpha's anger. He hadn't done that in a while (Even though his students and even some staff _had tried_ to get him to do so) and the fact that this strange Alpha was making it happen in an Irish bookshop was unnerving. He blinked and fought the urge to bare his throat in submission, but it was a near go.

The Alpha's eyes widened and he stiffened abruptly, blinking as if he was coming back to himself. He shook his head and the scent abruptly disappeared.

“Sorry.”

He mumbled before inelegantly stumbling away from Liam and out of the shop, leaving Liam clutching the book and breathing deeply to calm his rapidly beating heart. It had been a near thing, him offering his neck. To a strange Alpha in a bookstore, of all places. And the scent...It had been a long time since he had had that syncing of scents with someone else.

But the Alpha was gone and Liam felt slightly light-headed. So he stayed put at the bookstore for a bit and endured a couple of betas asking if he was alright and if he needed to sit down with a cup of tea somewhere. He assured them that he was just slightly shaken up and continued browsing, ending up with a few treasures that made the trip worth it despite the slightly unpleasant interlude with the Alpha.

But today, this second last night in Dublin before he took the train out to Galway, he was going to find a Beta or an Alpha, come hell or high water. That was one of the main draws of Ireland, he wasn’t ashamed to admit and he knew he just needed a bit of charm and effort and things would go the way that he had planned.

He had gone to St. Stephen's Green after that and got his mood and equilibrium back in order.

He supposed that was why he was talking to Niall, who was usually his wingman and biggest cheerleader whenever he needed a bit of a boost to do something that was outside of his comfort zone. Especially after two years of living in backwaters, Liam was painfully aware that he needed the extra boost.

But he still could take the piss out of Niall when he got a bit too smug for his tastes.

Like he did now.

Liam rolled his eyes as he buttoned his shirt and ran his hand through his hair.

“Yes, Liam. You were right and I was so, so, horribly wrong to ever doubt you. How could you ever forgive my transgression?”

Liam drawled out, making Niall cackle in glee as he shifted in his seat, careful to not disturb the kits lying on his chest, snoozing. He had them loosely covered with a blanket, only their heads peeped out whenever he shifted and seeing their delicate heads made something clench inside of Liam. Something painful that made him wince with the suddenness and level of pain.

“You alright Liam? You’re not close to your heat are you?”

Liam shook his head and forced himself to not entertain it as a possibility. He was always off during the spring, his heats messing up at the beginning of the year and setting the tone for the three that would follow after. He had checked the calendar again when he had come back to the hostel just in case.

“I think it's just the city, being around so many different Alphas and Betas. Maybe it's just like a dry one? I mean, the last time I was around an unmated Alpha was Fernando and his scent was so controlled I was barely affected. So it's just a fluke. I'm okay!”

He forced the cheeriness in the last word, hoping that Niall would drop it and not be worried. Even though his friend had a right to be worried. If Liam ended up in heat in a strange country, it would be disastrous if he didn't make it back to the embassy and get taken care of there. If he was claimed by any Alpha or Beta, he could be forced to mate and stay in the country and subject to the rulings of the country. Ireland wasn't as brutal as some places in regards to Omega rights and Liam knew that he wouldn't enjoy the same level of autonomy as he did back in Canada.

Niall gave him a long look and sighed. “If you're sure. But just take care, alright? I know you're not careless or stupid. But be careful. You don't want to end up regretting this.”

Liam nodded. “Yeah. I know. I know. Just wish me luck, okay?”

Niall's face cleared up at that. “Let me see what you're wearing then.”

Liam sighed, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he stood up and let Niall check out the simple outfit of dark washed jeans, black thin tee and red plaid shirt. Niall let out a whistle and a leer once Liam was done.

“Hair's on point and the outfit's better than your teacher or casual stuff. Go get yourself some action!”

Liam laughed. “Thanks. I'll talk to you later! Take care of my niece and nephew yeah?”

Niall nodded and they both signed off.

Liam took a deep breath, grabbed his room key and forced himself to walk with a confidence that he wasn't quite feeling, but would gladly fake.

He followed the signs to the bar and found it equipped with a giant flatscreen telly in a corner, tables and stools and numerous blocks of couches in the dim interior contrasting with a brightly lit bar. More couches followed and the front doors were open to face the street that had tons of people already milling about, laughing and smoking and having the good time that Liam was needing.

He breathed a sigh of relief and went up to the bar to order himself a pint of Newcastle. It wasn't quite the best thing that he could have ordered, but it was safe and he could cut himself off in case things went south. He paid it with the money he had budgeted for the night. He had folded up three twenty euro notes and stuck them in his mobile, which he had shoved into an inner pocket he had sewn on the inside of his jeans. He didn't think he was going to be needing more than that if he was out.

Once the transaction was done, he took his drink to one of the couch cubes close to the door only to be stopped by a brown haired Beta about his size. He felt like running away right then and there, but forced himself to smile and go with the flow. It had been awhile since he had forced himself out there to party and be sociable and he was determined to kill it. He wasn't going to fuck this up and luckily Ireland was warm enough that a few minutes after arriving at the bar, he not only had a drink, but a circle of people to talk to when a cute Beta asked him for a light.

“Yeah, you got a smoke?”

The Beta grinned and showed him almost a full pack of Malboros.

“Will this do?” He asked Liam flirtatiously, making him flush slightly.

“Of course, shall we go?”

The Beta called out to his friends and they all moved in a group towards the entrance of the pub, stopping a few feet away as per regulations. Introductions were made (Jamie was the brown haired beta, out with his cousins Carter and Brad, two other Betas and Emme, Bradley's Omega) and anecdotes began to be exchanged.

Liam breathed a sigh of relief when his plan worked. He had found out earlier that smoking always led to conversations so even though he wasn't a constant smoker, he made sure to have a light or take the chance and ask someone for a smoke. Besides, he was on hols. It wasn't as if it was going to be a habit all over again.

So he joined the group from Boston and they exchanged the items while trading jokes and stories. Liam laughed along, even smirking at the Boston Bruins jabs when a whiff of cinnamon and nutmeg passed by. He stiffened as it got closer and closer and he nearly dropped his cigarette when he saw the Alpha from earlier smoothly part the throngs of people around and stop in front of him.

“I figured it was you I was scenting. That apple scent isn't a common one.”

The Alpha said, his voice low and smoky as the cigarette he plucked neatly from Liam's unresisting hand and took a drag of it.

The others moved away, clearly uncomfortable at the Alpha that had appeared as if from nowhere and was now crowding and more or less claiming Liam as his own. Liam noticed this with a pang of disappointment since he was having a bit of a laugh and helping ease his nerves quite a bit. Yet that was quickly overtaken by excitement at having an Alpha show that much interest already. The Alpha that he couldn't quite tell Niall about. Although the meeting earlier hadn't been the greatest, he knew that he had reached the goal he had set out with when he had decided to travel. He had found an Alpha.

Liam cleared his throat and tried to reply, but couldn't vocalize anything at all.

“Look, I didn't mean to come off as an arsehole. It was just surprising. Just like finding you here was surprising. Let's say we start again. I'm Zayn Malik.”

He held out his hand and Liam took it, his eyes widening at the spark that jumped between them when their skin touched. Yes. This was exactly what he had been looking for.

“Liam Payne. Uh, this is Jamie and his cousins Carter and Brad and Emme.”

He was a bit heat-struck at meeting such an intoxicating Alpha, but he wasn't above his manners. Even if Zayn had now wrapped his arm loosely around his waist in a clearly possessive gesture.

Zayn gave them a small smile and returned the greetings to the group. Jamie looked disappointed at Zayn showing up, but he quickly rallied and invited Zayn to join them at the bar. Zayn accepted and soon, they were chatting and laughing as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Once they had finished their smokes, they went back inside and ordered drinks, commandeering a couch in the corner to keep on chatting, even when the music got louder and more people were out dancing.

Brad and Emme and then Jamie disappeared, leaving them with Carter, who explained that he wasn't much for the nightlife. Besides, he explained, he was expecting his mate, an Alpha named Alba, who was due to arrive the day after. Zayn seemed to relax into the conversation and seemed to relax as the conversation flowed between the three of them.

Liam found himself leaning into Zayn as the night wore on, neither of them leaving each other's sides except to go to the restroom or get drinks. Well, that was Zayn, since Liam cut himself off at three when his buzz started to teeter into drunk territory and the last thing that he wanted was to get sloppy drunk in front of this Alpha.

Carter had already made his excuses, leaving when the Skype app on his phone started blaring, leaving Zayn and Liam alone. Something that they took ample advantage of.

Not even a moment after Carter had left, Zayn had kissed him. A surprising and ferociously possessive kiss that had left Liam moaning against Zayn's mouth. It had been too fucking long since he had been kissed like that and he relished every bit of it. Even when Zayn gave him a light nip before pulling away.

He had made a soft noise and picked up his close to empty glass to finish it off. Zayn eyed it and moved to get up to the bar, but paused when Liam shook his head.

“You don't want anymore?”

Zayn whispered in his ear, pushing Liam's hair out of the way so that he could hear better.

“No. I've reached my limit.” Liam replied, putting his empty glass down and looking straight at Zayn. He had known other Alphas who liked to push more drinks on Betas and Omegas and he hoped that Zayn wasn't like that or else he'd make sure to make his excuses and leave. No Alpha cock was worth his safety and respect.

“That's always good to know your limits. So...I'm guessing that sitting around and making out isn't the only thing that you want out of this night, am I right?”

Liam's eyes widened before he grinned at Zayn, relieved that he didn't have to spell it out to the Alpha sitting beside him.

“You got it in one. My bed or yours?”

Zayn snorted at that. “My hotel room. I may be a lot of things, but an exhibitionist in a hostel isn't one of them. Shall we?”

He asked, standing up and holding out his hand to Liam, who took it and was hauled up to his feet.

“Let's go then.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scents-So in order for couples to be somewhat compatible, their scents have to blend in some sort of combination. The key is that if they don't make each other react violently, it's good. Liam's scent is Canadianized in a way, since he smells specifically of McIntosh apples. Very Canadian right there. OKay, maybe I was thinking of Apple Crisp or pie when I decided that Zayn would be cinnamon and nutmeg. Anyways, they go together. 
> 
> Generator Hostel-I'm going by the layout of the one in Berlin that I stayed in. I read a few things about the Dublin one, hence the vagueness. I again apologize because I'm describing a city on travel logues and websites.
> 
> The Secret Bookstore-Apparently it IS that hard to find. I can also imagine Liam being so inept with directions it would take him awhile to get the proper address. 
> 
> The song in the bookstore-There's a reason for the mislabelling of the song. It will be explained later, I swear.


	3. I Wanted You Know, That I Am Ready To Go (Heartbeat, Heartbeat)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam's heat kicks in and it's a mad race for Zayn to get him to safety and help him through it. On the way there, he learns more about Liam and gains a new respect for him and what other Omegas have to go through. Something that will influence him in his later actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting is again from guidebooks and as much internet research I can do without unlimited internet. If there are issues, I swear that they will be fixed. Proofed and edited, but mistakes will be fixed as they appear.  
> Title is from "Heartbeat" By Childish Gambino.

_Zayn- Generator Hostel/Clontarf Hotel_

It should have been an easy getaway from the hostel, if it hadn't been for the moment that Liam stood up, he ended up doubling over in pain and nearly collapsing at Zayn's feet. Or he would have if Zayn hadn't acted quickly and grabbed him, pulling him up and propping him up.

The scent of apples was back, tinged slightly with a coppery undertone that reminded Zayn of new pence and made Liam swear quietly when he saw the look of comprehension dawning on Zayn's face as he realized what that coppery scent meant. Pre-heat. Liam was damned close to going into a full blown heat and if they didn't act fast, they were going to have a situation on their hands.

Liam bit his lip and closed his eyes as he breathed heavily, forcing his body to calm down and the scent dissipated to a low key one that only Zayn could still taste slight traces of in the air. But no one else, he noticed as he cast a furtive glance around the bar.

“How close is your heat to breaking?”

Zayn asked as he looked for the exits in the bar.

Liam groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands roughly. His eyes were dark, but the pupil hadn't swallowed up the soft brown irises as of yet.

“Just an hour. Maybe two if I concentrate.”

Zayn nodded. They had time. Dublin wasn't massive and he was sure that they could make it to his hotel room before the first day wave hit.

“How long does it usually last? Three? Five?”

He asked, keeping a tight grip on Liam as he moved them towards the other exit at the back. The one close to the reception desk were he could see a couple of people working at. Perrie's heats usually lasted three, maybe four days. But she had been on those suppressants that blunted the effects and acted like birth control.

He sincerely doubted that Liam was on the same things, since he hadn't smelled the slight synthetic scent of them on his skin. Maybe he was on different suppressants, since he was in Canada and they probably had different kinds there.

“Not sure. I'd guess six at the most.”

Zyan had to will himself to not react to the news. It was a one in a million chance that he'd stumble across an Omega not on suppressants needing to mate for nearly a week. And to do that with an Omega like Liam...He knew his eyes had gone gold at that, the Alpha instincts in him practically salivating at the chance to mate and breed an Omega for that long. He heard himself growling as the unbidden image of Liam under him, eyes closed and mouth open in ecstasy as Zayn thrusts into him and...

He closed his eyes and forced himself to think of train schedules and tax forms. The coach schedule to Birmingham. The Victoria Station lay out. That boring book about moors he had to read for his English lit course.

That did it and he was able to open his eyes again and keep moving towards the exit, but was instead pulled towards a door and pulled it open.

“I need to check out. I was only going to stay another night and then go to Belfast in the morning. Guess that's fucked now.”

Liam replied to Zayn's puzzled look as he limped heavily towards the fourth door in the hall, whimpering softly with each step. His concentration was fraying and it was hurting something brutal to force himself to focus on these last tasks before he could give himself permission to lose himself to his heat.

“How can I help?”

Zayn asked once Liam swiped his card and got into the room, which was a dormitory filled with six bunk beds and with no one there. Liam led them to the bottom bunk and handed Zayn the key and pointed to the locker underneath while he stood and grabbed onto the bunk bed ladder tightly.

“My bag and jacket are in there. Can you get them out and put the stuff on my bed in it? I can't bend right now.”

Liam explained, his voice slightly breathy with pain that made Zayn move fast.

True to his word, Liam didn't have that many things scattered on his bunk, unlike some of the other beds in the room. All he found, after doing a double check, was a thick paperback, a charger and an ipad. He shoved all of that into the backpack along with the jacket and zipped it up.

Remembering his stays in other hotels, he stripped the bed and rolled up the linens before grabbing the bag and a quietly whimpering Liam and walked both of them down to the reception.

“Ah Jesus, mate! Your Omega gonna be alright?”

The young man at the reception asked as Liam shoved the keycard and locker keys towards him and gave his name rapidly and requested a refund for the night after.

“I'm taking him to mine. Can you hurry up with the checking out and the refund, if that's possible?”

Zayn replied, his concern over Liam's discomfort taking the bite out of his remarks.

“Sure. Hey, Siobhan, call these two a cab, will you? They need one badly.”

The young man, a beta, agreed as his fingers flew rapidly across the keyboard and his co-worker, a tall girl with hair in a short pixie cut, did as instructed. She gave Liam a sympathetic look and did as requested.

“Where to?”

Zayn swore softly and pulled out the card he had grabbed from the reception before leaving, since he had learned the hard way that even in a small town, he could forget where his lodgings were exactly. It also didn't help that he tended to be blind drunk or high as a kite when that happened.

“Clontarf Hotel. How long?”

The girl muttered some instructions before nodding and ending the call.

“Just ten minutes. I told them to send a Beta driver. You are welcome to wait here. Less chance of anything happening here than on the street. They'll come in to get you.”

Zayn nodded and murmured his thanks, turning to see Liam pocked his cash and thank the reception worker quietly before Zayn dragged him to a bench and sat him down.

“Thirsty.”

Liam breathed out and Zayn looked around for a vending machine, but stopped when the beta reception worker handed him a bottle of water.

“Thanks. How much?”

The young man shook his head and held up his hand.

“No charge when an Omega is in distress. Take care of him, yeah?”

Zayn was touched and nodded as he cracked the bottle open and handed it to Liam, steadying his shaking hands so that he didn't end up spilling it over himself. Liam drank almost half of the bottle down before he put it down, the copper tinged apple smell back again just a bit stronger than before.

“Not long now, love. Not long.”

Zayn soothed Liam, closing the bottle and rubbing circles on his back to ease the strain of the pre-heat. They should have already been mating and he knew that each minute Liam held out was as painful as fuck. It not only made him determined to take care of Liam well when the time was right, but also admiration for the Omega's strength of will to have held out for so long. Other Omegas would have already been lost in the heat frenzy, doing everything possible to get mated.

Not Liam. He was shaking and clutching his belly, but he was still more or less in control of himself. Other than the occasional whine of pain and the glassiness of his gaze, he was still there and Zayn was impressed. Whoever thought that Omegas were weak and frail creatures certainly hadn't met Liam James Payne. If he was honest, Liam could and most certainly would be able to put even an Alpha to shame.

“Cab to Clontarf Hotel?”

He was snapped out his thoughts by the arrival of the cabbie and he pulled up Liam from the bench and grabbed the bag.

“Yeah. That's us.”

The Cabbie's eyes only widened at the sight of Liam, but didn't say anything as he led them outside and opened the back for them to crawl into. It was a bit of a mess, with their legs and bag getting tangled for a bit before they got themselves situated with Liam curled up on Zayn's lap and his nose buried in his neck. He licked Zayn's throat and mewled.

“Not long, now love. Not long. Do you think you can hold out for me just a bit longer? We're going to be there soon. Just hang on a bit more. I know it hurts, but you're doing so well, baby...”

He kept up the steady stream of praise as they drove through the streets, Liam's mewling turning into a weak purring that made Zayn hold him tighter and give an answering rumble in return, surprising him so much that he missed Liam's nip until the pain brought him back.

Zayn hadn't really expected to pick up anyone in Dublin. In fact, he had actually tried to go out of his way to _not_ do it and instead follow Ed's advice and get his head back in the game. He had more or less done that the last three days that he had been in Dublin, taking the time to walk around the city with his sketchbook in his bag and putting down all the ideas that the city had brought out in him.

He had spent nearly three hours in Trinity College, hiding in one of the courtyards and roughly sketching out the architecture into stylized, Victorian Gothic shapes with mythological creatures creeping about in the corners. He didn't think that was going to be a theme until he found that his last five sketches were along the same vein. It wasn't his usual style, but that was the vibe he got from sitting in Trinity.

He snorted and decided that maybe he was as recalcitrant as Ed and his family were often fond of saying to him. Dublin had a joyous vibe to it, if he was honest, but it was an old city and that was why he saw it that way. Others may have been drawn to the greens and the brightness of Dublin Castle, but not him.

Or maybe he just needed to surround himself in people for awhile and try again. Or else his next show might just be nouveau Gothic stylings. He didn't mind it, but it wasn't quite _him._ There was something missing and he wanted to capture it before he lost it and went home even more frustrated than before.

He walked around, just absorbing the city vibes and occasionally taking pictures for later references until he came across an alley way and it hit him. The scent of crisp sweet apples. He normally would dismiss Omega scents as too sweet for him. Perrie's scent had been a light caramel that had, in time, grown too cloying for his own spicier scent. It worked at the beginning, but had eventually clashed badly as their relationship had reached its inevitable end. No. This scent made him think of winter nights and snow and _home._

The last made him shake his head. What the fuck? He hated the cold. He hated winter with a passion, so where the hell had that thought come from? It unnerved him enough to abandon his quest and trail the scent.

Something that was easy to do, since the Omega, a youngish looking man in a black jacket, dark wash jeans, and brown hair with an open and sweet face walked by him a couple of times, clearly looking for something. Zayn watched as the man checked his phone and let out a noise of happiness when he saw a barber pole and entered into an entrance even Zayn had missed the first time around.

Zayn wasted to no time in tailing him and pretending to browse the stacks of books while some Tim Finn song played. He didn't want to appear like a creep, so he kept his distance as much as he was able in the small shop, despite the scent making him want to plaster himself all over the Omega. It was a subtle scent and it was almost swallowed up by the old book smell.

He closed his eyes and forced himself to look through a stack of old comics, his back against the Omega, as he debated either ignoring him or introducing himself. Something that he hadn't ever had to debate when it came to an Omega. Either he approached them and arrangements were made, or he just left. No middle ground.

And then the Omega jabbed him in the back, making him bite back a yelp as he turned around himself and poked the Omega in the chest. It was the small shock he got from those touches that had him nearly losing his grip on his Alpha instincts. The Omega gasped and apologized, but Zayn couldn't respond as he struggled to reign himself in.

He was pissed off at himself that he was close to losing control. He wasn't a kit, for fuck's sake! He was grown Alpha and here was nearly drowning the poor Omega with his scent and power. He finally managed to get himself under control, but not before he had made the Omega chirp in distress.

He gave an apology and took off before anything else happened. He took a long walk along the Ha'Penny Bridge and the River Liffey to clear his head. Right. Fuck Ed's plans. He needed to get laid and get laid fast.

That was why he had found himself heading to the Generator Bar. He didn't want to get to a nightclub right away. He was still slightly shaken by what had happened and didn't want a repeat of that loss of control. The last thing he needed was to get himself accidentally bonded or charged with assault. Fuck that. So he decided to stop by and check out the tourists like himself.

At least that had been the plan if that scent hadn't been floating in the air again. He was drawn to it and sure enough, it was the Omega from the bookstore. Except that this time, it was obvious what he was looking for, if the well-fitting clothes and pose with the cigarette were anything to go by. His Alpha instincts had been on the money. This Omega was on the hunt and he was quite fine being the prey.

Prey that didn't resist as Zayn manhandled him into the hotel room. Liam fell onto the bed, mewling as he pulled off his jeans and shirt. Zayn put the “Heat Session-Do Not Disturb” sign on the door and locked it tightly. He was naked when Zayn came to the bed, his skin lightly shining with sweat as his hands moved to stroke his dick, which was an angry red, hard as a rock, and already leaking precome.

The sight made Zayn's breath catch in his throat. Fuck, Liam was something else. The restriction of Zayn's clothes became even more apparent when Liam keened deep in his throat and spread his legs enough to get two fingers to go in that hidden opening behind his balls. Zayn's mouth went dry when he saw Liam's fingers enter fast, then be yanked out slowly. They were glistening and wet, with the slick dripping down to his wrist and Zayn lost it.

With nails that became claws, he tore off his clothes and kicked them to side before jumping on the bed and straddling Liam, pressing his cock down and rubbing it against Liam's own. The friction made Liam moan and pull his hands away and wrap his arms around Zayn's shoulders, his claws digging into the muscles and making Zayn growl louder.

“Tell me what you want, baby. I'll do it. Just tell me what you want. Tell me you want this.”

Zayn demanded, his voice raw and harsh as he spoke.

Liam opened his eyes, which were black, the iris completely swallowed up by the pupil as he bucked his hips up.

“Fuck, Zayn! I want it! I want it! Please!!”

It was all the encouragement that he needed. Zayn shifted, reaching down between them and went past Liam's dick and straight to that wet entrance. It was open, velvety and warm to the touch. But he still stroked the walls of it, enjoying how Liam shuddered and the walls opened and closed as Zayn touched them. He started out with two fingers, scissoring them and slip sliding them all over, even circling the outside of the entrance before plunging in again and making Liam's hip buck and his dick rub against Zayn's belly.

He did this a few more times, adding another finger in until he was sure that Liam was ready to take his cock. Even though Liam was clawing at him and nearly sobbing in pent up frustration, Zayn wasn't going to just bury himself inside him without preparation. He had a suspicion that it had been a while since he had been properly mated and there was no way that he was going to injure Liam because they had been impatient. He had his asshole moments, but that was something he'd never stoop so low for.

He pushed Liam's legs open and propped himself onto his knees onto the mattress. His cock was hurting, but he forced himself to enter Liam slowly, pausing so that Liam had a chance to adjust. Liam whined and begged for more, trying to pull Zayn forward, but Zayn resisted. He moved slowly until his hips were flush against Liam's.

He put his hands on either side of Liam's head and braced himself to thrust. Looking down, he kissed Liam's swollen mouth hard, nipping at his lower lip. It was only then that he began to move, thrusting in and out in a slow, controlled movement that had Liam yowling as the friction of their bodies moving drove him to orgasm and to spill all over their chests. Zayn was done for after that display.

His rational mind shut off and his Alpha instincts came to the fore. All that he cared about was mating Liam and mating him good. His hips moved faster, his thrusts got harder and deeper and Liam was sliding along the bed with the force of them. He tried to brace himself against something, but all he did was flail about and knock the lamp off of the nightstand. Zayn didn't even notice and moved faster, harder, his hips undulating now as he tried to reach every area of Liam's passage.

The bed complained and the headboard started thumping against the wall. Liam wrapped his legs around Zayn's hips and saw stars when that rough spot was hit. Over and over again Zayn got it, making the orgasm build up and blind him when it was finally released. Two orgasms and he was nearly ready to give up. It had been far too long, but still, the heat was riding him as Zayn moved brutally against him, slamming their pelvises together, his eyes gold as he sped up, then threw his head back and...

He roared. He honest to goodness roared as he pushed through and spilled himself into Liam, his body collapsing on top and his canines lengthening as his hindbrain shouted at him to finish it, finish it, finish it...Obeying, Zayn pressed a soft kiss into the juncture of Liam's neck, were the apple scent was the strongest and bit down hard, coming in even more spurts as his teeth broke skin and he clamped down on the bonding gland.

Liam gave a high, thin cry before he was limp under Zayn.

It was done. They had mated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Preheat-This is like the preview, but younger Omegas have less control over themselves than older ones, so the time that they have really varies with experience.  
> Suppressants-There are two kinds in this verse. One is just birth control and eases the symptoms. The other stops it cold.  
> ABO-Here, they are more feline, hence the vocalizations, claws, and referral of babies as kits. The one thing in writing the verse that I personally can't hack is the knotting/lupine aspects. I'm not fond of dogs at all either.  
> Male Omegas-They and Female Alphas have both sets of reproductive organs. They are the only ones that have that. More will be explained later about that.


	4. You Showed Me How To Live Differently

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heat is over and Liam and Zayn decide to continue onto Galway, where Zayn has an epiphany with Ed's help, while Liam does the same with Niall's help. Neither talks about the potential issues and Liam goes back to Canada.
> 
> In London, Ed realises what has happened between Zayn and Liam. Meanwhile in Canada, Liam finally gets confirmation of an outcome he hadn't expected to happen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I again have relied on internet searches when describing Galway and the numerous locations in the county. Again, my apologies. Title is from "I'll Never Know" by Tim Finn.  
> Proofed, but if mistakes do sneak by, they will be fixed as soon as they are spotted.

_Zayn and Liam- Clontarf and Galway_

Zayn was the first one to wake up, his head muzzy as he blinked at the brightness of the room. Oh. Right. He had forgotten to close the heavy drapes after he had again taken Liam on the desk in front of the window. He wouldn’t have normally done it, but Liam had begged so prettily that he didn’t have it in him to say no. Not when the claiming mark was bright and livid and the feedback loop of pleasure was as intoxicating as a hit of opium and twice as potent.

It’s a feeling that he wasn’t sure he ever wanted to give up, yet he knew he had to. Although he had to wonder if it was maybe a bit too late for that. He sighed heavily and turned his head to look at Liam, who was sleeping with his head resting on Zayn's chest. He looked bruised, and battered, with the claiming marks all over his upper body and even (Zayn’s face heated up when he realized it) on his hips and inner thighs.

Despite the marks, he looked much more relaxed and at peace than Zayn had seen when they had first bumped into each other and when they had spent those hours in the hostel bar. His mouth was slack and he looked even younger than his years, putting him at late twenties than the mid-thirties like Zayn himself. It made the protectiveness and the  _want_ and the feelings of possessiveness that show up in his mind in a brutal chant of “ _Mine, Mine, Mine…”_ even more pronounced than it had been the first time that he had bit into Liam’s neck and activated the bonding gland. 

It wouldn’t work. He was damned aware that even though he was making his mark in the art world and was having steady showings and commercial work, that he couldn’t quite settle into domestic life with an Omega as of yet. Nor could he give up his life to go to some backwoods that Liam worked in. Even if their chemistry was through the roof, could Zayn imagine giving up the career that he had made for himself after so many years of struggling and dead end jobs before his work finally started making waves after a couple of illustration gigs for a fantasy series that translated into a well-received show. Maybe he could try in Montreal or Toronto or even Vancouver, rattling off the cities he had only passing knowledge of and going by the descriptions that Liam had given him of two of the places. 

He wouldn’t mind Vancouver with the warmth, the Pacific Ocean and the Rainforest. He mused, as he started to gently rub Liam’s shoulder with his thumb as he tried to picture it, using the descriptions of the mountains, the high rises and the scent of greenery and cedar in the air. Or Montreal with the old world charm. Only the language would a problem, he realized as he turned his head and buried his nose into Liam’s hair and breathed in the apple cinnamon smell that was only slight marred by sweat and an odd, underlying sweetness he hadn’t noticed before.

It was stronger this morning, he thought and sniffed again, making Liam stir.

Those two thoughts put the end to his fantasies. Reality was again knocking at the door and now that Liam was stirring, it was time to get his head on straight rather than fancies and the memory of really, really,  _really_ mind blowing matings.

Liam was a good person with a glass face. He couldn’t hide what he was thinking to save his life and Zayn knew that even if he could convince Liam to give up his fiercely guarded independence, he wouldn’t last in the circles Zayn moved into. He was too honest and down to earth, as a good teacher should be, Zayn mused. He loved that about Liam. He didn’t have to hide, nor was he forced to share if he didn’t want to.

“I know we just met and this is pretty intimate, but I can promise you that I’m not going to be asking for your in-depth biography, just like I hope you don’t expect that from me also. We can talk, but there are things that I won’t talk about and things you may not want to talk about as well. I know how raw things can get and how weird it will be after, so are we good on this?”

It had been the main rule that Liam had laid down after his heat had settled enough to make lucidity and conversations possible. It had taken him aback, but he had readily agreed, thankful he didn’t have to use his stock answers for his tattoos and make some vague allusions to his youthful misadventures. He saw the answering relief in Liam’s eyes and he did his best to not stare at the tattoos on Liam’s body as well.

It wasn’t hard to do in the end, keeping to those boundaries was easy and he got to know Liam as much as he was allowed and vice versa. It worked and it made everything flow smoothly like Liam had wanted. It had been such an easy going situation that Zayn was reluctant to let it go just yet.

“Zayn? What…Are you _sniffing_ me?” Liam asked, his voice still hoarse from sleep and from yowling over the six nights that they had been fucking on every available surface in the hotel room. 

“I’m an Alpha. It’s our thing.” Zayn replied, hiding his embarrassment at being caught doing such an animalistic thing by his Omega.

Liam laughed quietly, the sound dissolving into purring as he stretched out and raised his head to meet Zayn’s gaze.

“So what do you have planned after this?”

Although Liam was aiming for nonchalance, Zayn could hear the tremor of insecurity underneath the casual words. They both had talked about it, in the small breaks of lucidity, what was to happen after. Liam was going to Galway and finish off the rest of his two weeks before coming back to Dublin and Zayn hadn’t really given an answer because he simply didn’t know. He had enjoyed the interlude of Liam’s heat and  _Liam_ himself. 

Liam was sweet and sort of naïve about things, yet sharp and brutal in others and Zayn couldn’t ever tell when the two merged or would show up. He found himself wanting to know more. Wanting to know about the childhood scars on his body, the half-told story of his kidney, the reason he chose to teach English. What the paperback he had fished out of his bed was about. Why he wasn't able to wink.

What Liam wanted to do once he found a home and hearth and with whom. All of this, he wanted to know more than he had ever done with Perrie. Hell, with anyone else he had ever been with, if Zayn was being truly honest. And to his surprise, he found that he was.

The only thing was that he needed to know if it was just the post-heat afterglow talking or if it was just hormones fucking with him. He had experienced it before, with Rebecca and a small extent with Perrie and Gigi as well. It had worn off right after a couple of days and he had known that it was just that. Yet with Liam, he had a very strong suspicion that despite wanting that to be the case...

“I don't know. I came with no plan, but staying in Dublin seems a bit like a waste of a trip.”

Zayn replied honestly. He had been in touch with Ed briefly and his best mate had noted the difference in Zayn's demeanour and had suggested he take a longer side trip through the countryside. 

“Yeah, Dublin's great, but you should go west. Galway is YOUR kind of city, Z! It's all artists and bohemia! Who knows, you might get ideas for another show out of it.”

He had made some noises about thinking it over, but the idea of heading out to Galway to get more inspiration was appealing. And if Liam was heading there himself...Well, it surely wouldn't hurt if he tagged along. After all, it wasn't proper to leave an Omega without proper aftercare. Not when the Omega in question wasn't on suppressants. Perrie had actually resented it when he had tried to take care of her afterwards. She had been like Gigi, who as a beta didn't need the extra attention and had actually pushed him away as she had gotten out of bed, her phone already in hand as she texted the next stop, Zayn was later to find out when they had a mutual parting of the ways. He figured that Perrie had been so standoffish because of the suppressants that was why he had tried to not let it bother him as much.

Yet he was sure that was why his Alpha instincts had raged so much and why it had led to a ton of micro aggressions that had become unbearable to cope with later on. His instincts were being blunted and he had had to get them out some way. He had to admit, as he had scrolled through his phone while Liam slept, that it was the reason why his art had gotten so grim and why he was so prone to rages and bad decisions. It was there, between the lines and that had been the reason her had chosen Gigi, a Beta for his next girlfriend. 

She hadn't been enough though. They had good times, but it wasn't the same depth of passion or connection that he had had with Perrie. So they had tried to rekindle their romance again, only to have it burn up in flames when their chemistry went utterly awry. They couldn't do it. Something had slipped out of place and couldn't ever be fixed back to the way that it should have fit.

Not like Liam. Who was still lying there, looking at him sleepily while his mind drifted and his fingers carded through his hair. Liam wanted to stay close to Zayn and wasn't pushing him away. He looked like he was content to stay there with Zayn if he so wished. Make slow love in that bed again before finally picking up and leaving, if Zayn wanted. Or read to him from the books he had bought in the secret bookshop while Zayn smoked and drew the dreamy, abstract scenes of a lover's bedroom. 

Zayn would have loved to do all of that, but he knew it would be delaying the inevitable. He also knew that Liam didn't have that much time left. He had to fly back to Montreal on the Friday and as much as he wanted to stay in one place, he couldn't ruin what Liam had hinted at being a much needed vacation. He couldn't leave him. So Galway it would be.

“I was thinking...That since you're thinking of going to Galway,” he paused and looked at Liam, who immediately lit up, “We could go together? I heard it's a pretty artsy place and I need more inspiration. Maybe we can see the Ring of Dingle or something?”

Liam cackled, making Zayn snort out in laughter over Liam's reaction. He knew that it had started as an inside joke with his friend Niall. He made a mental note to ask exactly why it was so funny later when they finally DID get to the place.

“Well...then if we're going the same place, we'd better get cleaned up and checked out. Or else I'll be tempted to have you inside me again and we'd never really get anywhere. So with that, I'm taking the first shower.”

Zayn raised an eyebrow. “Why do you get it first? I'm the Alpha.”

Liam laughed, knowing that Zayn was joking. “Omega privilege. Give us that at least.”

Liam replied as he got off of Zayn and gingerly made his way to the ensuite. Zayn felt slightly guilty, but mostly proud as he saw Liam limping. He hadn't had to hold back with him and it seemed at times that Liam had  _challenged_ him for domination as they mated. It had been a new experience and he liked He wasn't passive unless he was wrung out with pleasure and Zayn liked that. He didn't like passiveness and he respected that Liam was confident enough to tell him what felt good and what didn't. 

He watched Liam disappear into the bathroom before he called the front desk and asked about the checkout time. It gave them two hours and Zayn thanked them and hung up. He sat up and rubbed the last bits of sleep away before he heard the shower start. The water was the only sound until a few minutes later when Liam's voice above it. He strained his ears and smiled when he heard Liam singing the first few lines of “I'll Never Know”.

The same song that had been playing when they had first bumped into each other. Zayn laughed softly and wondered if Liam knew that. Probably not. He shook his head and looked around the room, to see what he needed to pack first. As much as he would have loved to share the shower, he knew that they probably would have just fucked in it like they had done the last time they had attempted to share it. 

Smirking at the memory of the water pouring over them as he had bent Liam over and fucked him against the tiles on the third day, Zayn decided to start packing, humming a song that once he realized was the same one Liam was singing, he stopped.

He couldn't afford to get attached. Not more than he had already been.

~*~*~*~*~

Liam scrubbed at his skin, wincing as the remnants of the best damned heat he had had in years sluiced down his body and down the drain. His skin was still tingling and sensitive as he stood under the hot spray and scrubbed himself. He had to admit that Zayn had a reason for having that air of smugness and arrogance about him. Well, if he was fair, most Alphas did and it pissed him off something awful.

Yet he couldn’t find it in himself to get irritated at Zayn for it. Not when the Alpha knew exactly what to do even at the weirdest and inelegant moments of a heat. Like when he needed to be tended to like a kit because he was so wrung out and exhausted. Or when he needed to be held and cuddled just because. It wasn’t just the sex that he appreciated, but the fact that Zayn  _wanted_ to do everything that most other Alphas he had been with hadn't given him. 

Liam frowned and shook his head as he lathered up the washcloth again and scrubbed himself one more time. He didn't want to think about other, less satisfactory heats when he still had Zayn's cinnamon and nutmeg scent sunk deep in his skin. The last thing that he wanted was to sour the time that he had left with Zayn. They only had five days before he had to be back in Dublin and on a plane back to Montreal and the fucked up tableau he had left behind.

Not to mention the other heat he’d have to endure by himself before going home for the summer. Liam sighed irritably as he looked down at his pinked skin and rinsed off, finally feeling clean and not as raw, yet still smelling like apple pie. Trust his biology to fuck him over at every opportunity that it could. He usually had two heats at the worst times of the year when there was no chance of getting anyone to help and he knew that the one after this one would be pure hell.

Especially since Zayn would be across the water and Liam was sure that the mating mark would still be active despite the distance and time.

He trapped his bottom lip between his teeth and bit down on it. Not enough to bleed, but enough to hurt as he recalled the last time he was mated in the throes of his heat. It had lasted a few months, the connection and he had been a mess during the whole thing. The heat had been miserable and had left him curled up in bed sobbing with grief, dejection, need, and  _want._

That was the most difficult thing to deal with. That wanting and needing someone who clearly didn’t feel the same pull as he had. The humiliation that not being the Omega that they wanted refreshed over and over again with each wave of heat and the frantic need to be filled and held and bred. Then once his heat had broken, the crying jags that struck out of nowhere when the bond dissolved.

He had only gone through it once, thank god. It had been a pretty low point in his life and he had been lucky that he hadn’t had a witness to see what a mess he had been at the time. His doctor had offered to put him on suppressants after that, but Liam had declined. He hated how they made everything taste of metal and the way that his emotions would swing to extremes. Not to mention the unspoken and unsought of certainty that he wasn’t going to be with an Alpha anytime soon.

He had been wrong about that, but he had been careful about getting bitten. Or had been lucky to get off with Betas who were good lovers, but wouldn’t claim him. Or get him pregnant, he had found out, much to his mixed relief.

Liam had had a good track record of that, the memory of the last time a good deterrent.

Until Zayn happened to come along and tore through all of his rules and defences.

Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to regret it or make panicked plans to get to the doctor’s and get pills to ease the pain that was to come. No. He was quite fine with it. Had been the minute that his heat had broken and he was lying in Zayn’s arms and just basking in being surrounded by an Alpha and their combined scents deep in their skin.

He wouldn’t be ashamed of this. No matter what was going to happen. Galway would be just an extension of the heat. Liam was glad that Zayn had decided to come along and stick around for as long as possible as a proper Alpha usually was supposed to.

It would go a long way to easing the bonds. All he had to do was be very careful that Zayn wouldn’t mark him again and hope that he would find another Omega soon after.

He figured that was how Zayn usually operated. He had the easy grace and the thin streak of cruelty of someone who just had to look to have someone come running with want and lust in his eyes. It would be easy for him. Zayn had that much charm and mystery in those honey eyes that it wouldn’t be an issue. 

He was an artist, bohemian, sweet, unpredictable, and everything that Liam pictured whenever he read about the Belle Epoque or taught his students about poetry and Paris in the Roaring Twenties. He was a free spirit and Liam loved that mutable quality of his nature that he had seen in those brief moments of lucidity when his heat had pulled back just a bit. Zayn was clever, worldly and thoughtful in those times and if he had been younger and more besotted, he would have fallen deeply in love with him.

But as much as Liam would have wanted to keep the exotic and appealing gaze of the artist upon him, Liam was too much of a realist to even dare hope that it could be possible. He had been broken hearted and disappointed enough to know that an Omega like him didn’t keep an Alpha like Zayn for long. Those kinds of Alphas always wanted pretty little Omegas who bent to their wills and produced litters after litters of pretty little kittens. Something that even he wasn’t sure that he was still able to do after-

He forcefully turned off those thoughts and instead started to sing the song he had heard in the bookstore, not sure if he was getting the words right, but at least helping to keep the past where it belonged. He didn’t need that right now.

He’d have plenty of time to ruminate when he was back in Canada.

Right now, he was going to enjoy himself.

_Liam and Zayn-Galway_

Maybe it was the pints in the pub. Or the music at the ceilidh they had been at early, but he couldn't stop looking at Liam and feeling ridiculously happy that he was beside him. He had his arm around Liam's waist, pulling him close as they stood by the bar, chatting with a group of comprised of locals and tourists as the music played and the good times rolled. He had bottle in his free hand that he kept forgetting to take sips out of, so enthralled was he by Liam's stories.

Stories that seemed to be equal parts adventure travelogue and utterly ridiculous situations that he had found himself in. Stories that he had only heard the broadest outlines of that hinted at yet more experiences that were quite unlike what Zayn had known. Like the time he had been across the Mekong in a tiny raft with a hung over Kiwi while wondering if he was going to drown if the guy didn’t stop shaking. 

Zayn missed the end of the story, lost in thought as he looked at Liam's profile, his fingers itching to capture the sight of him right there. He briefly wondered if he would be able to do him justice later on, in paints or ink and paper. Liam was that vibrant, the atmosphere and the alcohol giving him a healthy flush that made Zayn think of only kissing Liam until his lips were red and swollen before taking him again and watching as Liam's eyelids would flutter and the flush-

He shook his head and took a long swallow of his beer. He didn't know where those thoughts were coming from. He hadn't ever felt this depth of emotion for anyone before and he had to admit that it was scaring him.

Enough so that he reluctantly extricated himself from Liam, who had finished his story and was listening to another one of the patrons share her experiences in a Prague hostel.

Zayn had tried to be subtle about leaving, but Liam noticed and looked at him quizzically.

“Just going to have a smoke.” Zayn re-assured him.

Liam nodded. “Okay. I'll be here, yeah?”

Zayn smiled and pressed a kiss to his temple. “Awesome. Be back in a few.”

He made his way through the crowds as quickly as possible and once outside, found that the lie he had told Liam was true. He did need a smoke to settle his nerves. Lighting one up fast, he then pulled out his mobile and quickly called up Ed.

“ _Zayn? You okay? What's going on?”_

Ed asked, the concern in his voice making Zayn cringe as he realized that he had been more or less AWOL since he had gotten to Ireland and found Liam. It made him gentler than he otherwise would have been at being asked if he was caught up in something. To be fair...

“Nothing horrible. I'm in Galway until tomorrow.”

Zayn hedged, taking a long drag from his smoke and making Ed laugh.

“ _So you took my advice then? How are you finding it?”_

Zayn looked around. The street was still packed despite the late hours, buskers, party people and smokers like himself were milling around and adding to the overall vibe of the street, Music spilled out everywhere, from top forty to Gaelic songs and old rock songs. It was perfect and yet he was standing out there calling his mater and trying to calm his nerves with nicotine instead of standing with Liam beside him taking pictures and making a running commentary about all he saw.

“Better than I could have hoped for. Hey...Ed...When you found Taylor...did you feel all ridiculously warm and perfect around her? Like you didn't want to ever let her go? Like she was the only thing that you wanted to see and never lose sight of her? Did your scents like mix perfectly then stay deep in your skin and made you smile at weird times because it was so fucking perfect?”

The words tumbled out of his mouth without thought and hearing them didn't make him feel like a fool. Or like he was faking it. He meant them, he realized to his surprise and horror. He fucking  _meant them._

He finished the cigarette in record time and stomped it down on the street before finishing off the last of his beer, Ed's breathing the only thing on the other line telling him that his friend hadn't hung up on him.

“ _How did you know? Did you...Shit...Zayn...Did you get yourself bonded over there?”_

Zayn laughed sharply. “I didn't plan on it. But yeah. Met a Canadian Omega...Twice, actually. Bumped into him in a bookstore and then in a pub. I...I helped him through his heat and we mated.”

Ed hummed a bit as he took in the news.  _“You marked him, didn't you?”_

“Yeah...And he's leaving in a day. That's why we're going back to Dublin and I guess...I guess I'll be back in London right after.”

Ed swore softly.  _“You guys talked about it?”_

“Yeah. We can't stay together. We'll keep in touch and all that. We're talking about visits when he finishes the term. He teaches High School. He...I know he feels the same. But...is it real? Or is it just...you know? The aftermath of sharing a heat and mating?”

Zayn asked, lighting another cigarette.

“ _It could be both. Or it could just be the hormones of the aftercare. Couldn't say for sure until sometime passes. It could also be that he's pregnant and it's your instincts reacting to that. Wait...You...Wait...Is this the first time you've actually spent doing aftercare with an Omega? What about Perrie?”_

Zayn felt the blood drain from his face at the thought of Liam pregnant. The omega had dismissed it with a wry smile when Zayn had brought it up when they were on a day trip in Connemara. Zayn had wanted to bring it up, but there was such a hollow, broken look in Liam's usually brown eyes that he had dropped it. He had only grabbed Liam's cold hand and led him to the hills to take pictures again.

But if he was acting this way...And if Ed knew...

He swallowed and shook his head, despite knowing that Ed couldn't see him.

“No. She was on suppressants. Never wanted me around after. Gigi was a beta and Liam hinted that it wasn't a worry, even if he wasn't on them.”

“ _Oh. Well...If that's the case...Just wait it out. It's not like you guys can build a nest together. Not with the fucking Atlantic between you. Well, unless you-”_

“No. We just got Ireland. Liam doesn't make those kind of promises and won't accept them either.”

Ed laughed at that.

“ _Wow. I'd never thought that I'd ever hear that about an Omega. Not stereotyping here...But I mean, Tay was giving me ultimatums after the first heat. I hadn't even mated her. Liam sounds like something else. Someone who could be good for you. Keep you grounded and stuff.”_

“Yeah...Well...Maybe in another lifetime. Listen, he's waiting for me in the pub and it's our last night here. I want to make it memorable for him to end his holiday on a good note.”

“ _Gotcha. I'll see you in a bit, yeah? Just...Just take it easy, Zayn. Okay?”_

Zayn smiled. “Yeah. I will.”

He ended the call and shoved it in his pocket before finishing the second cigarette and throwing the butt in the ashtray and the beer bottle in the recycling bin before entering the pub and feeling the warmth return when he saw Liam looking for him, a worried expression on his face that cleared up the moment he saw Zayn coming back. He smiled and Zayn felt his throat tighten.

He didn't know how he was going to survive tomorrow.

_~*~*~*~_

Liam knew that Zayn was going to talk to his mate when he stepped out of the pub to have a smoke. That was fine. He needed the time to think and do the same with Niall. Zayn had given him time, when he was working on sketches, and Liam had used that time to chat with Niall and Louis. Especially since he was...he was...happy. Ecstatic even, whenever he saw Zayn and touched him.

Zayn was like a fucken drug and it worried Liam. He  _knew_ he was playing with fire if he didn't work on detaching himself from Zayn. Yet he hadn't even tried and had instead let himself indulge into it to the hilt. In Galway county, they had done it in the field before they did it in Connemara, the thrill of getting caught adding to the excitement of their elicit coupling. 

He had Zayn's scent imprinted on his skin as did Zayn and neither could distinguish their own scents anymore. He hadn't had that happen in a long time. So he had asked Niall and Louis about it when he finally got the chance.

Neither were very helpful. In fact, Niall had been downright cagey and Louis had simply shrugged his shoulders and told him to be careful once again before he broke his own heart again and switched the topic to Harry and how well Ottawa was treating both of them at that time. They had asked about Dublin and how he was liking Galway, but that was it, so Liam decided to drop the topic until he could at least see one of them face to face in Canada.

But he decided to try Niall again while Zayn was off doing the same thing.

“ _Look...Liam...It could be two things. After-heat hormones are what I'm guessing, since you haven't been properly fucked in years. You probably are just feeling the effects of holding back for years. The other is that you could be pregnant, mate.”_

Liam's eyes widened when he had gotten the message. “After all these years? No fucking way, Niall. Not possible.”

Niall's reply came back right away.  _“Why not? Your scents have mingled and you looked like you got mauled by a fucking tiger last time I saw you, Li. You told me and Louis that you're carrying both of your scents on your skin, yeah? He's the same and you're both acting soppy as fuck. That was me and Kerys when the twins happened.”_

Liam wrinkled his nose at that. It could be possible...Yet...

“I don't want to jump the gun, Ni. I've had it happen before and nothing came out of it. Remember Mattias?”

“ _How could I forget the prick that shattered your heart so badly I thought you'd never recover? No. Liam, you're older. You know how to take care of yourself. But don't discount anything. Just be prepared. I'll talk to you when you get back, allright?”_

“Yeah. We will. Later, Ni.”

He ended the message and looked up, wondering if Zayn was back when he spotted him in the crowd. Their eyes met and Liam's heartbeat sped up at the sight of Zayn.

He felt himself smiling and Zayn returning it as he rushed past the people and back to his side again.

“Let's go somewhere else, yeah?”

_Zayn-London_

Ed sat on the old couch that Zayn had salvaged from Oxfam and watched as Zayn painted another canvas. He had been working practically all hours of the day since he had gotten back from Ireland.

Well, except that two day period were he had locked himself into the loft area of his studio with a couple of bottles of good rum, Coke and a few joints. Ed had checked up on him until Zayn had emerged red-eyed, hollow-cheeked, but with a fire in his eyes that he was turning into what Ed could see was going to be his next show. Some of the paintings were Gothic horrors with Dublin landmarks as backdrops to wraiths, satyrs and ghosts inflicting horrors on grieving victims. 

The last of those paintings had been finished a week after Zayn had returned. Ed thought that was going to be the rest of the theme until Zayn had received an email that had him smiling the same smile he had seen in photographs whenever he looked at Taylor and the canvases had now become the dreamy, intimate and almost painfully intimate of a dark haired man who was always in profile or quarter profile.

A book of poetry had appeared after that. It wasn't new and it was slightly dog-eared and Zayn guarded it jealously. Only once did Ed dare to look at the author and saw that it was W.B. Yeats. There was a home-made bookmark stuck in it and Ed opened it up after guiltily glancing up and making sure Zayn was still out buying milk and biscuits before he did.

The bookmark fluttered out when Ed glanced at the poem it marked.

“ _Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven.”_ Ed read, noting the royal blue ink that underlined the title and the last four lines. They had a bracket and crisp, slanted writing stated:

“ _These were the lines I couldn't remember when we went to Galway County that day. Funny how I teach it and yet fucked it up when I was trying to tell it to you when it really counted. Anyways, let me know if you think this is better than my version. As always, your Li.”_

Ed's heard the keys rattle in the lock and put the bookmark back into the book and the paperback back where he had found it. Zayn had come back to see him playing with his phone and nothing amiss.

Yet Ed knew now why Zayn's paintings had gone from dark and grieving, to showing hints of an emotion that he kept tight-lipped about in life, but not in his art. It was as if Zayn was okay with showing the suggestion of his lover, but not actually putting discernible features to him. That sight was only for him and it made all of the pieces fall into place for Ed.

The irritability turned up to ten. The long runs that Zayn took and the fact that he wasn't even glancing at any Betas or Omegas. His scent was apple pie sweet and it was still as strong as it had been when he had gotten off the plane when Ed had come to pick him up at Heathrow.

Zayn and Liam were in a true mating.

And they were well and truly fucked unless something changed.

But Ed didn't bring it up. He couldn't put even more pressure on Zayn. Not when he could see that the facade was only just holding together.

So he watched Zayn paint and hoped that he knew how he would be able to help when it all exploded.

_Liam-Northern Canada_

Liam laughed hollowly when he stared at the doctor and the sonogram that had two grey blobs circled in green ink. He could barely concentrate on understanding the broken English spoken with a thick Quebecois accent, so lost in shock he was at having received the news and gotten proof of it in his hands.

He had refused to even entertain the idea of being pregnant that he had missed the subtle signs of the mood swings, the irritability, the weird cravings and the exhaustion. He had chalked them up to stress and the upcoming heat and when it didn’t appear, he toyed with going to the doctor in an abstract kind of way. But had kept putting it off due to being busy with work and family, or needing to chat with Niall, hang out with Louis, or talk to Zayn on Skype.

He would have put it off indefinitely if it hadn’t been for him finally collapsing when he was about to start his day. He had only gone to the staffroom to fill up the kettle with Louis chatting with him as always when his entire vision swam and he fell to his knees in front of a shocked Louis. He had been lucky Louis was there and had dragged him as fast as possible to the clinic where they had taken blood and urine samples and after giving him water and confirmed what he had known, but hadn’t dared to even let himself think about.

Now he was sitting there, looking at the printout with his name across the top and wondering how the fuck he was going to not only survive the next five months. Not to mention how he was going to tell Zayn that their mating bond was alive and kicking and they had twins on the way as proof. Louis was already looking at him worriedly and Niall would no doubt have a field day over being right.

Liam sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Some souvenir he had gotten.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aftercare-Zayn's not really have had a chance to give an Omega aftercare, so he's a bit emotionally overwhelmed. Liam's gone without it for a very long time, so that's why it's crazy intense for them. It's supposed to bring the couple together for an upcoming birth if conception has occurred.  
> Mating/Marking/Bonding-It is supposed to dissolve after enough time or distance. Or if an Omega or Alpha bond with someone else right after. It is painful and very taxing, that's why Liam was very wary about the situation. If there is a pregnancy and proper aftercare, it becomes permanent.


	5. I Only Want To Be With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam's got choices to make while struggling with past outcomes. Zayn finally admits the truth that has been staring at him in the face and only becoming apparent after his exhibition.
> 
> Right after his epiphany and success, Liam calls with news that eclipse anything that occurred earlier in that evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that last part was left off on a cliffhanger, so hopefully this makes up for that. Proofed and edited, but if mistakes remain, they will be fixed as quickly as possible. Title is from Tim Finn's "I'll Never Know"

> _Liam- Northern Quebec_

Liam sat on the armchair in his living room huddled into his heavy fuzzy Penguins blanket (that would soon be Louis' since he wanted a warmer blanket for the next winter) and watched as Louis, Harry and Marc-Andre, another colleague helped pack up what he couldn't finish before the dizziness and nausea took over. Louis had noticed him going ashen after they were only a quarter through and had gotten him to sit down. Harry had followed right after and had grabbed water and the blanket. He hadn't gone back to helping until Liam had finished the water and had agreed to stay put until the packing was done.

Liam had felt guilty and embarrassed that he had left work for his friends and colleagues. It was his shit that needed packing and transport to the fucking post office! He should have been able to do it all himself, for fuck's sake! He felt tears of frustration prickle at his eyes and he angrily brushed them off, pissed at the mood swings that seemed to come in unpredictable waves. He hated that and couldn't wait for it to stop and go back to normal for him.

At least the one thing that a positive was that he lived in a small place and wasn't a major packrat. The few things that had somehow multiplied had been his book collection (As always, he grinned ruefully as he saw the boxes that were full of books and getting taped up) and some of his kitchen gear. The rest he could still fit in his hockey bag and carry on that he was sure Harry and Louis would pack so that he could easily carry them with the connections he was going to make.

“So that's it, yeah?”

Marc-Andre's thick, nasal voice broke through his thoughts and he looked up, blinking at the sight of his basically bare apartment and the twelve boxes neatly labelled and waiting patiently to be hauled off to the post office to be shipped back to his parent's house.

“Yeah. That's it. Listen, Louis, I'll help Marc-Andre with the boxes. How about you and Liam make some tea for us when we come back, yeah?”

“I'm not an invalid, Harry.” Liam protested peevishly, ruining the effect by shivering and huddling deeper into his blanket.

“We know that. But you're a pregnant Omega entering his second month. We just want to make sure you're healthy, okay? That's all.”

Liam felt his cheeks get red and he nodded. He didn't meant to sound childish and he was embarrassed at how patient his friends were being with him. He was grateful that he wasn't facing this completely alone and was glad that Louis _had_ decided to hover.

He would have face planted onto the floor quite a few times if it hadn't been for Louis being right there to catch him and get him to sit down. He had been the one to get Liam to the clinic and get his vitamins, ginger ale and crackers when Liam was too out of it to get those things himself. Harry had decided to come up now that his contract as a freelancer had ended for the summer and he had eased the burden of helping Liam battle his exhaustion, dizziness and nausea every day so that he could finish out his contract.

Despite indicating earlier that he was willing to do one more year, it was obvious that was not going to happen. Once his first month had ended and he had received the news he was carrying twins, his doctor had put him on early maternity leave and Liam had opted to take the full year and go back home to his family. There was no way he was going to stay in this town when he was carrying twin kits.

Admin had been sad to let him go, but they understood once he had to grab a bin and throw up in it halfway through the conversation. He was also relieved that he had been able to leave in mid-June rather than at the end. All his marks were in and he had done all the year-end protocol for them. He just had to get his shipping reimbursed and he was home free.

All of his loose ends in the town were taken care of.

His personal life...That was a different matter.

He still hadn't been able to decide whether he would tell Zayn about the kits or just keep quiet and let the friendship that had sprung up between them fade away, leaving him none the wiser. He knew it was cruel and mercenary, but he also didn't want to tie someone to him out of a sense of obligation rather than because they wanted to be with him.

“Penny for your thoughts, Li?”

Liam looked up at Louis, who was standing in the living room entrance while the kettle boiled for the tea that he had been entrusted to make.

Liam debated telling him the truth for a second before he sighed and rubbed the bond bite still bright and vivid on his neck.

“I'm trying to figure out when it would be the best time to tell Zayn about the kits. Now, or when I'm back home.”

Louis scrunched his nose as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms in front of his chest as he mulled the two options over.

“Well...You're going to be travelling in what? Five days, give or take?” Louis asked, making Liam nod.

“Then just wait until you've gotten settled over at your parent's. No sense in telling him now while you're trying to get your shit packed up and the trip to the airport sorted out. Unless...Were you planning on not telling him at all?”

Liam's mouth opened and closed and his pupils dilated at the thought.

“God! No! No! I wouldn't do that! That would be needlessly cruel to him, being bonded to me and not knowing he had kits out there! I know if I was in that position, I'd be beyond furious with the Omega that would even _think_ of doing that to me.”

Louis nodded, walking away when he heard the kettle burbling and went to make up normal tea for everyone and mint for Liam, since it helped to soothe his stomach and his nerves. Once he had made the tea, he brought out the mugs to the living room and gave one to Liam before sitting down on the couch. Liam thanked him and put the cup down on the cheery sunflower coaster he had picked up at the local dollar store during the Winter Break.

Louis did the same and sank deeply into the couch and looked at Liam, his lower lip trapped between his teeth as he debated asking the question he didn't think he'd ever ask Liam ever again.

“Are you scared to tell him before three months are up?”

Liam's eyes widened and he curled up on himself, making Louis feel like a jerk for bringing it up, but also having an _“Aha!”_ moment. He knew Liam had been deeply hurt and traumatized by the first ever bonding he had gone through. It hadn't been his fault, or his ex-Alpha's fault how it had ended. It may have been his fault for putting Liam through legal hell right after. It had been a painful and bitter time for Liam and Louis suspected that had been one of the mitigating factors for his friend having had such a rough time in the dating field.

“The doctor said it was different this time, Liam. They're healthy. Even though you've got the nausea and are dizzy...Your kits are fine. It's not the same as it was with-”

“I know. But I don't want to take the risk and sound like a crackpot if it happens. I'd rather be sure and have proof before I pull him out of London.”

Louis' raised his eyebrows at that admission. “He'd come for the kits?”

Liam nodded without hesitating. “Yeah. He cares about family and the way that the bond has been feeling lately tells me that the closeness we had in Dublin and Galway's still there. He'd come the minute I'd tell him about the kits. I don't want to build up everyone's hopes. At least not this month.”

Louis stopped chewing on his lip and took a sip of his slightly cooled down tea. “How has the bond been feeling? Burning or over sensitive?”

Liam tilted his head a bit and ran his fingertips over the raised marks, wincing when he pressed too hard on some parts of the welts before dropping his hand and picking up the tea to soothe his jangled nerves.

“Over sensitive. Very painful if I press on it. Like a bad bruise.” He took a sip of his tea and looked sharply at Louis.

“He feels the same, but is denying it. He's invested in the bond and once that's complete, you guys will be permanently bonded for the rest of your lives.”

Liam closed his eyes and nodded. “I suspected as much. It wasn't hurting like when the bond with Matthias broke, when it felt like I was getting shredded to bits. That's how I know he'd come, Lou. And if there's no kits...I can't go through that again, Louis. I won't survive it this time! Twice was enough.”

Liam's voice sounded strangled as he bent over, his breathing going fast as his panic rose. Louis recognized the signs of a panic attack and immediately sprang into action. He quickly put his mug down and went over to Liam, wrapping himself around his friend and scenting him to calm him down. Even though his scent is more brown sugar, cardamom, and peaches due to his bond with Harry, it was sufficiently similar enough to Zayn's own to immediately calm Liam. Still, he didn't pull away right away, murmuring soothing noises to the Omega until he felt Liam go lax in his arms and start to purr.

“Li, listen to me. I know you're scared and you have every right to be, but this time is different. You have a strong bond, you're not partying and malnourished and the kits are healthy. It's not the same circumstances. You're going to have healthy twin kits in November. I'll be there and Zayn will be there when you tell him. Don't stress yourself. Not over this, yeah?”

It took Liam a bit, but he finally mumbled an agreement and allowed Louis to lead him to the stripped bed and curled up around Louis before falling asleep. That was how Harry found them later when he showed up bearing Tim Horton's coffee, tea, and timbits.

“Is he okay?” Harry asked as he sat down gingerly on the edge of the bed.

“He will be. He's just a bit freaked out. The past is coming to haunt him and he's having a rough time at the moment. But he'll be fine once July rolls around.”

Harry's eyes widened at that as he handed Louis one of the cups. “That's the cut off, yeah?”

Louis nodded as he accepted the cup. “Yep. I don't blame him for being skittish, but I have no doubt he'll be fine. Whoever this Zayn is...Well, Liam couldn't have asked for a better sire for his kits.”

Louis said as he gently uncovered Liam's mating mark and showed it to Harry, who automatically raised his hand to cover the mark that looked _exactly_ like Liam's own.

“I guess Ireland really did the trick.” Harry commented as Louis covered up the mark again.

“It sure did, thank fuck. Now hand me those timbits, I've had enough feelings shared to last a lifetime.”

_Zayn-London_

“So what do you think, Ed? Taylor?”

Zayn asked as he ushered them into the gallery where his new exhibition was showing after several months of work. His friend Ant had already come by and whistled at the number of people milling about. Some of the paintings had been snapped up in the first hour, which had made Zayn take pause when his agent had commented on that fact. And they weren't the ones that Zayn had expected to sell.

The dark, moody paintings he had done while grieving. He knew now that was what he was doing. His oldest sister had clued him in when she had seen them earlier. He had just thought that it was just the impression he had gotten from Dublin the first time he had wandered about it.

“You miss Perrie, don't you, bro?”

Zayn's brow had furrowed at her question, turning around from supervising where they were going to hang the main attraction of the exhibition, so to speak. He walked over to what his sister looked at and flinched. It had been one of the darkest paintings he made.

Painted on completely black canvas, it showed a dilapidated house that had been completely bombed out and a dark, fairy like creature that was a cross between a Satyr and one of Tolkien's elves holding the decapitated body of a person while kneeling in the rubble. The colours were muted and grey-toned, only the blood and gore being true and saturated with pigments. It made the scene more jarring that way and it brought home the idea of death and loss to the audience.

“I see why you'd think that. But no. I don't miss her. She's not the reason why I painted these.”

Zayn explained as he gestured to the other equally brutal and dark paintings in the dim-lit corner of the gallery. There were five of them and if he was honest, Zayn couldn't _quite_ recall actually painting them. All he remembered of that time after Ireland and before Liam had sent the email he didn't even want to realise or admit that he was waiting for. Once he had seen the subject line of “It's Liam!!” and opened a pretty long email full of Liam's ramblings and little vignettes of life in the North, the spell had snapped. His heart didn't feel like it was cracked open and bleeding all over the place.

Instead, he had flipped past the smudged sketches of his first paintings and had flipped to the ones that Liam hadn't even been aware that he had been making. For some of them were done when Liam was passed out from heat induced exhaustion. Zayn hadn't really set out to do those, but he had been drawn by how peaceful Liam looked when he was at rest. How badly needed Zayn and this holiday were for him and how it would be gone when he was lost in the needs of his body or being wary around the rest of the world.

So he had drawn him in quick, broad strokes so that Liam never knew. He found himself doing it when they were on a bus, or a train to another day trip. When Liam was busy taking advantage of the wi-fi and chatting with his friends from Canada, Zayn would sketch him. Liam was so animated despite his friends not being able to see him and Zayn, ever the artist, didn't want to forget the way Liam's eyes lit up, or narrowed as if he was looking for something really hard inside his head, or how his lips quirked up when his friends said something he found amusing.

He only had this time with Liam and he wouldn't even speculate about seeing him ever again. So he took advantage of that quite time and got to work, filling numerous pages of him sitting across from him. Or lying down on the field or sitting on rocks or benches out in the open. Liam had been a perfect study and when they said their goodbyes and he walked through the international departure gates, giving him one last look and smile before he was gone, Zayn had waited until he couldn't see him anymore to get that last look down on paper before the tears blurred and he had to go to the bathroom and get his shit together before he was to go as well.

Those sketches and drawings were what had kept him sane when he had that two day meltdown, locked in his room and texting to say he was fine, but needed space. It had gutted him in ways he hadn't ever predicted and had medicated himself through it before he got to work. Those five dark paintings were the product of that pain and of that not quite understood grief. He didn't know why he was acting that way. He hadn't marked Liam anymore after the heat. He had read that the bond between them should have started to fray once they were away from each other. 

Zayn had also read that distance helped to loosen it. The fucking Atlantic being between them should have made that happen. Yet the bond was still strong as ever and his scent was still of apple pie. When Liam's emails started arriving at steady intervals and Skype chats started to be added, Zayn noticed the scent getting stronger and heavier.

So he had taken to wearing scent neutraliser and beta colognes with cedar and bergamot notes to cover it up. He refused to even entertain the reason for that and instead plunged himself into his work, producing ten more paintings of Liam and the places they had been to. All of them were done in bold, almost scribbled lines and muted water-colours that added a fragile and ethereal texture and poignancy to the scenes. He had enough for a showing and his agent had wasted to no time in setting it up. His sister and mother were now there, seeing it set up and Zayn was sort of wishing they hadn't come.

“So why did you? Was it because of that Canadian boy?” She asked lightly, but Zayn flinched nonetheless.

“What boy, Zayn?” His mother asked, her eyebrow arched as she looked at both of her children.

“First of all, he's not a boy. He's my age. Second of all, it was another tourist I met in Ireland. We travelled together and we...We hit it off. But he's a teacher and in Canada. My sister seems to think that I painted those pictures because he's across the pond.”

His mother nodded and Zayn was sure that she was going to drop it before she calmly asked: “Well, honey, did you?”

Zayn felt like he had gotten hit and again wished that he hadn't insisted they show up.

“Mum! We only knew each other for two weeks! How can I grieve for someone when I just knew them so briefly?”

“You could grieve for the potential, Zayn.” She came closer and put her hand on his shoulder.

“There's no shame in grieving what could have been, Zayn. You shared something with him that you won't have with anyone else. It's perfectly normal to want to accept the loss and move on. And remember what you had as well.”

She added softly as she and his sister moved to look at the other paintings. Neither his sister nor mother commented on the other paintings as he quietly herded them past. His sister’s face was blank as she studied them, but cast him knowing looks before exchanging the same glances with their mother. Zayn pretended that he didn't know what they were on about and instead allowed himself to be pulled away for last minute things and had said goodbye to them when they left and pushed the episode out of his mind.

He didn't need to be a fucking emotional wreck before a showing and he had to admit that it took him a few cigarettes and a shot of whiskey to get him through the first hour. By the time he had spotted Ed and Taylor, he was mellow. The success of the show and the sales that were piling up were doing much to boost his mood.

“Oh. Wow. Well, this is different.” Ed had commented when he saw the few paintings remaining.

“You have outdone yourself, Malik. But they are so different from what you usually paint.” Taylor commented, letting go of Ed's hand so that he could inspect the centre piece of the show: A painting of Liam standing in Kilmurvey Beach on Inis Mor. It had been a sunny day and Liam had been wearing a dark blue coat he had found in Oxfam in Galway and dark blue navy jeans and combat boots. His hair had been whipped by the wind as he had stood on the beach and tilted his head up to the sun that had been a rare occurrence during their travels. He had grinned, his eyes closed and Zayn couldn't help it.

He had taken several pictures, cheating a bit, he told himself later. But the thought had been easily discarded when he had been able to use them as references to build the painting that everyone had been fawning over for most of the night. He had to admit that it was good and seeing Ed studying it closely and Taylor's comment made him wonder if what his mother and sister had said _was_ true. He knew that he used his comic book influences quite brazenly in his last few showings. It had all been what was living in his head at the time and the tumultuous roller coaster ride of rapid success and hectic relationships. It had been crazy and light-hearted and fun. Pop art at its truest form.

He looked at the painting again with a critical eye and thought about Taylor's remark. It wasn't that different, really. Was it? He was just growing as an artist, he argued with himself. Yet he knew that it wasn't quite true what he was telling himself. But really had no idea why that was the case.

“How is it different?”

Taylor tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes as she looked at the painting for a few minutes before she turned back to Zayn.

“You've never painted with such love, before, Malik. It was a semblance of emotion before. Not anymore. You captured it all. The darkness of it and the beauty of it as well.”

She turned away and went right back to Ed, who was talking to Zayn's agent, leaving Zayn blinking at them as they spoke.

He...He was in love with Liam.

Zayn laughed hollowly as it finally sunk in, the truth he had been desperately trying to not just deny, but obliterate from his mind and heart. He was, without a shadow of a doubt, truly and irrevocably in love with Liam.

~*~*~*~*

He got back home about two in the morning, one of the gallery's bottles of champagne in his hand as he quietly let himself into his loft. Even though it was an early night for him, he was still sober, despite reeking of cigarettes and spilled lager, courtesy of Ed and Ant. He hadn't been able to drink when he had come to the conclusion that he was in love with Liam. The real deal.

Oddly enough, the knowledge didn't make him freeze up or freak out like it would have eight months ago. Like it would have when he was still having massive rows with Perrie and trying to figure out what Gigi was thinking about. It made sense to him in a way that things usually didn't when it came to love and relationships. He loved Liam and he knew that Liam felt the same by the amounts of ridiculous home-made postcards, long emails and most telling of all: The mark he had put on Liam's neck was still there. 

He hadn't mentioned it and Liam hadn't either, but the fact that it was there and the fact that Liam would occasionally pull his hoodie or shirt collar so that it was right in the open was enough proof. Liam loved him. He loved Liam, but he wasn't going to do anything until Liam gave the go ahead. Yes, he was the Alpha, but he also knew that if he chased too hard, Liam would withdraw and not come back and the thought of losing Liam was unacceptable to him. So he resolved to be patient.

Shaking his head at how sappy he had become, he put the champagne in the fridge before going off and showering the evening off. Once clean and dressed in his trackies and a shirt that had Magneto proudly proclaiming that he could be called “Mag-neat-o”, he settled in front of his laptop and opened up Skype.

And nearly fell out of his chair when it started beeping, and telling him Liam was calling him.

He smiled and clicked on the green icon to accept the call and was surprised to see a tired and nervous looking Liam sitting in front of a light sage green wall with a Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire poster behind him. Although Liam was smiling, Zayn couldn't help but to feel worried. This wasn't what Liam's flat usually looked like. Liam's walls were a dull white that were alleviated by the football posters and a string of royal blue fairy lights. This place looked homey and lived in and screamed out “LIAM” more than the other place did.

“Hey Zee! Did I wake you up?” Liam asked, looking at him with slight chagrin when he realized the time difference, something that he was usually very careful about and spiked Zayn's curiosity and worry again.

“No. No. I just got in. Had a showing of the stuff I did in Ireland.”

Liam's eyes lit up at that and Zayn relaxed a little. “How did it go?”

Zayn smiled brightly, touched that Liam was asking. “Great! I sold all of my paintings and I got great write ups too. I'll send you the links. And you? Anything new?”

Liam laughed as he tucked a loose chunk of hair behind his ear, making Zayn wonder exactly when had Liam's hair had gotten long enough that he needed to do that.

“Yeah...A few things.” He sighed heavily and rubbed the mark, something that made Zayn feel slightly mushy at seeing him do that.

“I'm not in the north anymore. I left in June and I'm not going back. I'm at my parent's, hence the different decorations.” He said as he gestured behind him.

“The other thing is...Well...”

 He paused and reached past his laptop to grab something that turned out to be a fuzzy grey and black picture with two blobs that looked like little tadpoles circled in blue ink.

“I wanted to wait until three months had passed to tell you that we're going to have twin kits. They're due on November fifteenth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ed and Taylor-They're not entertainers, but are both involved in careers that put them close to entertainment types. Their careers will be revealed later.  
> Liam's leave-In Canada, a year long leave does happen. Sometimes, the parents split it, but in the case of single parents, they can take the whole year. Liam is also the skittish one here because of two past miscarriages. He's really skittish and that's why Zayn, as besotted as he is, gives him space. He doesn't know the full details like Louis does just yet.  
> Harry-There is more than just a contract end for him showing up. More will be revealed later.  
> Zayn-He really was in deep denial until he was smacked in the face with it because he was so clueless about what a real bond should be that he literally needed it all to slap him across the face until he finally got it.


	6. And You Know That I Love You, Here and Now And Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's reaction to being told about Liam's condition causes some heartfelt, admissions, despite the unorthodox way that they came about.
> 
> Now that they are out, Liam isn't sure about the next step. Unlike Zayn, who has started to make plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to tweak this a bit before it was done. Proofed and edited and if there are mistakes later on, they will be fixed.   
> Title is from "Stuff and Nonsense" by The Finn Brothers.

_Zayn and Liam-London and Edmonton_

It was a dramatic pronouncement. Enough so that Zayn blanked out for a few moments before he reacted.

Not very gracefully, but he _was_ in shock over being told after months of no hint at anything being out of the ordinary, that he was going to be a sire. Kits. Liam was pregnant with his kits. His kits. Shit...He was going to be a sire! With Liam! He was going to be the sire of Liam's kits!!!

Zayn got up to wander around to let the news sink in like he always did whenever he received some life changing information. It should have been fine, but he was so distracted he didn't see the cords that were _always_ scattered in tangled heaps around the chesterfield, (as Liam called it. Zayn thought it was _hilarious_ and started calling it that himself) got his legs tangled and landed badly on his left arm. He groaned when he felt the crack, the pain clearing his head.

Liam had just seen him break his arm after telling him he was going to be a father. Zayn was sure that this was one announcement that would go down in infamy.

He lay there, wheezing for a bit to catch his breath at the double whammy until Liam's shocked cry and frantic questions forced him up to address the situation and get himself some help.

“Zayn? ZAYN? Oh my god! Zayn? Are you okay? Zayn?”

Liam yelled frantically, making Zayn push his pain away and sit up, cradling his arm awkwardly as he moved slowly back into view. Although he was in pain, he was actually more embarrassed than anything. He was glad for the Alpha stamina, since he was sure if he had been a Beta or an Omega, he would have lost his mind from the pain already.

“Zayn? Zayn? Are you still there?”

Zayn grimaced and Liam covered his mouth when he saw Zayn cradling his left arm tightly against his chest and the light gold edging his pupils. He took a couple of breaths to steady himself before he addressed Liam. Yeah, he was hurting, but he didn’t want to leave Liam without a proper reaction other than injuring himself due to shock over the news. Something that could be easily misconstrued and he was too old for that kind of needless drama.

He had had way too much of it with Perrie and Gigi and the last thing he needed was to start it with Liam. Although he was sure that Liam avoided drama like the plague, Zayn was sure that the pressure he had put himself under plus hormones could change that. Besides, he was sure if he just bolted, Liam would freak and that wouldn’t be good for anyone.

Even if it did hurt and delayed him going to A&E right away like he should do. But he was an Alpha and his Omega and pride’s well-being came first.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry! Do you want me to call someone?”

Zayn, at that time, wanted yet again, for Liam to be there so that he could kiss him and lie about how he was fine. He wasn’t. Liam could clearly see that, but he couldn’t address that just yet. The news about his kits were the ones that were important at that moment.

“I’ll text Ed to take me to A&E. I can stand it for a few minutes. I promise we’ll get to the details later. I just…I can’t believe it! I mean, you said there was no chance...”

Zayn trailed off, wincing as he reached for his mobile and sent Ed the “Get your ass over here, ASAP” text that they only fired off when things were dire. They had decided on that code when Ed had broken his leg falling down a stairwell when they were in college together and Zayn was still in the studio and was able to get him help. To his relief, Ed only texted back an ETA of ten minutes so that Zayn was able to focus his attention back to Liam.

Liam who was now staring at the camera with a worried look on his face and his lip chewed bloody as he studied Zayn and winced whenever Zayn’s face tightened in pain or his eyes got more golden. This wasn’t the hopeful and nervous Liam of just a few minutes ago. This was an Omega that looked like they were scared out of their wits and expecting the worst to come crashing over their head at any moment.

Liam chewed on his lip. “I thought there wasn't. I...had been breeding twice before and I lost them. I never got pregnant again. This was as much of a surprise to you as it is to me. Believe me, I wasn't trying to trick you or lie-”

Zayn winced at the earnestness. He could feel the truth in Liam's words. He had seen the pain in his eyes when he had brought up the possibility of kits. Liam had thought it wasn't ever going to happen and here they were: Twin kits on the way and an ocean between them.

“Hey…No. Liam…Liam, listen to me. Listen to me, please.”

Zayn pleaded, making Liam look at him, eyes wide and nearly black.

“I know you didn't lie. I saw how much you hurt when we talked about it. No one is that good of an actor and love, you're not going to win any awards soon. Sorry. That’s why I know you’re not lying now.”

Liam's mouth curled up into that half-smile that Zayn loved to see. Liam laughed softly, his face flushing pink at not only the lame joke, but the fact that Zayn had called him “love”.  Zayn breathed a sigh of relief at the fear that left Liam. He didn't know much about breeding Omegas, but considering Liam's track record...He knew that Liam being stressed was _not_ a good thing.

“I'm just stunned and overjoyed that we're going to be parents. You never expected it to happen and neither did I, but love-”

“Zayn? Christ! Zayn, what happened? Oh hello Liam.”

Ed interrupted, looking for Zayn and finding him holding his arm gingerly talking to an obviously pregnant Liam, who was slightly confused by the turn of events.

“Uh...hi. Ed, right?” Liam asked, making Ed nod as he grabbed a coat and wrapped it around Zayn's shoulders while gently helping him up.

“Liam, I'm sorry, but we gotta go to hospital. Can he talk to you later?”

Liam nodded. “Oh! God! Yes! I'm so sorry for keeping him! Zayn, we'll talk later! I hope you feel better, love!”

With that, he signed off and Ed reached over to close the laptop. Once he did that, Zayn and Ed just looked at each other.

“You weren't kidding about him being so Canadian. Did he actually apologize about keeping you?”

Zayn nodded, leaning heavily on Ed now that he didn't have to put on a show for his Omega.

“Well...It technically was his fault that I tripped over the cords and broke my arm.”

Ed's eyes nearly bugged out as he quickly herded Zayn down to his car.

“What the hell did he say to you?”

Zayn grinned as Ed pulled the seatbelt over him and quickly got them moving right after.

“I'm going to be a sire. Liam's pregnant with twins.”

Ed looked at Zayn for a few moments before turning his eyes back on the road.

“Only you would get something like that happening to you, Malik. Well, congratulations. Even if it did get you a trip to A&E.”

~*~*~*~*~

“So you finally told him about the kits?” Niall asked as he held his son, Iwan, on his lap. Kerys, Niall's Alpha, had their daughter Aine and had stopped by to say hello before taking her outside to sunbathe in their backyard. Kerys was shorter than Niall, with reddish brown hair she kept in braids due to her penchant for outdoor sports and their daughter took after her in those aspects. Iwan was a dam's boy and when he was a little under the weather, he only wanted to cling to his dam. Hence the reason why he was sat on Niall's lap and half-heartedly gnawed on a piece of apple Niall had given him earlier.

Liam nodded, blushing as he recalled Zayn's reaction to the news. Niall raised an eyebrow at that.

“Well? How did he take it, then? Did he tell you to fuck off, cause I-”

“No! No! Nothing like that. It's just that...” Liam trailed off and the blush got deeper before he finally continued, much to Niall's impatience.

“When I showed him my last ultrasound and told him when I was due, he fell and broke his left arm.”

It took Niall a few minutes to react and when he did, he laughed so loud and so boisterously that Kerys came back into the house to see what the matter was. While this was happening, Iwan only looked at his mum as if she were a curious oddity and nothing more. It took Niall a few minutes to calm down and tell Kerys what had happened, making her laugh until she was crying like her mate was.

“He seriously did that?” Kerys asked once she had composed herself earlier than her mate.

Liam nodded, hiding his head in his hands while Niall still cackled and wiped his eyes before he joined the conversation again.

“Somehow, I'm not surprised. This is Liam we're talking about. He is a freak magnet after all. I mean, remember that time we were in Bali and that monkey-”

“Yes, thank you Niall. I think Kerys gets the point and yes, I did inadvertently injure my Alpha by telling him that he was going to be a sire. You don't have to rub it in. Thank you.”

Liam added testily, making Kerys look at Niall.

Niall bit his lip and shifted Iwan around. He felt slightly guilty at poking fun at the situation, but he had to admit that it _was_ damned funny in a twisted way. Zayn was the second Alpha he knew that had such an extreme reaction to being told about their kits. Kerys had fainted and hit her head on the coffee table. For which she had needed ten stitches for when he showed her the pregnancy test. But to break something...

“Well...I fainted and needed stitches when Niall showed me the test. So Zayn's in good company. Is he okay?”

Kerys asked, smoothing the situation over by sharing her own embarrassing story. She hadn't been able to live it down whenever Niall's family brought up the announcements and even Kerys' sire had given her grief about it. Remembering that annoying week, Kerys made a mental note to extract a promise from Niall that he'd never tell the story to _anyone_ lest Liam and Zayn lose it.

Liam's blush receded at Kerys' words.

“You fainted? You? But you're like the toughest Alpha I know!”

Liam cried out, incredulity clear in his voice as he spoke. Niall squawked a protest and Kerys only gave him a look at that.

“Yeah, well, it's not news you are ever ready to hear, Liam. Even if you are mated. I don't blame Zayn for falling on his ass. Have you spoken to him since?”

Liam nodded. “We Skyped when he got in. Not for long, since he was higher than a kite from the pain meds, but he's really, really happy about the kits.”

That had been a massive understatement on Liam's part. Zayn had been ecstatic in the way the only truly stoned on the good stuff could be. Liam would have been worried for Zayn if it hadn't been for Ed sitting right next to him at the table with cups of tea beside them.

His concern must have shown on his face, since Ed moved closer to Zayn and made sure that his friend didn’t fall off his chair whenever he lost focus and started slouching badly.

“I'm not going to leave him, don't worry. I'll take him to my home after this. Congratulations, by the way. He's been telling everyone he's going to have kits. I think the doctors and nurses who fixed up his arm got told at least three times after the meds kicked in.”

Ed told Liam when Zayn had gone to the loo after assuring both of them that he was fine to do so.

“Thanks for keeping an eye on him, Ed.” Liam thanked him shyly, his cheeks yet again going pink and his eyes nearly disappearing as he smiled widely at the news. Liam’s hand went to rub the bump that was visible now that Liam was sitting straight, rather than slouching as he had earlier. Seeing that made Ed melt just a bit over how adorable Zayn's breeding Omega was.

Despite being fairly reserved at the beginning of the conversation, Ed understood why Zayn was drawn to bond with the Canadian Omega. The proof positive came once Liam had been reassured by an overly giggly Zayn that despite the big cast on his arm, it was a clean break and he'd be fine in two months and some physio.

“And Ed's going to take care of me! Even though he's not you! He'll do a good job, right Ed? Tell Liam you're going to do a good job!”

Ed, to his credit, didn't roll his eyes as he had put down another mug of tea and tablets beside Zayn.

“I promise he's in good hands, Liam. I won't let him do anything ridiculous. Which has basically been my job description since we met in Uni.”

Ed deadpanned, making Liam finally smile and laugh and Ed understand it completely. It was the same smile that Zayn had painted. A smile that he had managed to capture in acrylics and oils and had made Ed relieved that Zayn had finally found someone that he could build a future and not just mess about with. Liam was the lightness that Zayn needed and now that he saw it, Ed was glad that even if Zayn had accidentally been bonded, it had been to someone like Liam.

“I trust you then, since you have experience and I can't be there. Thank you so much for your help.”

The profuse thanks made Ed grin. That legendary Canadian politeness was really too cute!

Zayn seemed to think so as well, since he had the sappiest expression of outright adoration as he looked at Liam. Ed was willing to bet that if they hadn't been so far away from each other, Ed was sure that he'd need to leave the room to avoid being treated to a live sex show. He breathed a sigh of relief at that. He loved Zayn and they were close as all out. But not that close. He never wanted to walk in on him mating someone. Once had been enough and he still had flashbacks to that.

The moment passed quickly, since Zayn remembered why they were talking in the first place and pointed to Liam's visible bump and started raving about it. Liam, for his part, was both embarrassed and pleased and Ed had to look away to control his expression for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

“You're having my kits! This is so awesome! Like, they're in _there_! In you! Right now! That is so awesome!!! Did you hear Ed? Liam's pregnant with my kits! I'm going to be a sire!”

He half-whispered, half-shouted the last bit, making both Ed and Liam do their best to contain their laughter. Medicated Zayn was too damned much!

“I never thought I'd get to have kits with someone like you! I mean...You're awesome and I fucking love you! You know that? I love you! Ed...Did you hear that?”

Ed was stunned at the unaffected declarations of love. As was Liam, by the way his mouth had fallen open and he was wiping the tears that were spilling over.

“Yeah, I did. Congrats to the both of you! When you're done taking the meds, we're going to have a proper celebration.”

Ed assured him good-naturedly as he put the pills in his hand. “Speaking of which, you need your next dose. Go on.”

Zayn squinted at him, but still took the pills and tea, drinking it back before turning back to Liam.

“I mean it. I know I'm off me head, but I mean it. I'll call you tomorrow so I can tell you again. Just like you can tell me about the kits, ‘cause I know...You wouldn't have told me otherwise about them if you didn't feel that way about me. I know, love.”

He had slumped against Ed after that, his eyes going half-mast, as if telling Liam this after nearly four months of knowing each other had drained him.

“Oh Zayn...” Liam whispered, his voice clogged with emotion. “Oh Zayn...Christ, Zayn. I do. I do.”

Zayn smiled, a sleepy, half knocked out smile. “I know, love. I know. Good night.”

They had ended it and Liam had needed a moment to cry in happiness over the conversation. After many sleepless nights and worry, to have proof that he hadn't been wrong about Zayn was a weight off his shoulders. To know that Zayn _loves_ him and it wasn't just lust, travel romance, or the aftermath of the heat talking, to know Zayn was excited to have kits with him...He couldn't help being overwhelmed.

“So will he be coming to Canada to see the kits once they have been whelped? Or will you guys go to him?”

Niall's question brought him back to the present conversation and he shrugged, smoothing his hand down his belly. The kits had started to respond to his emotional state and move about. Something that he had been worried about when it stated to happen, but was again assured that was normal. He winced when one movement was stronger than he was used to and rubbed his belly faster.

“We couldn't talk about that yet. He was so freaking high I'm sure he would have agreed to buy me a moose with no questions asked. I'll bring it up when we talk and he's not higher than the CN tower.”

Niall snickered, but nodded. “Fair enough. Well...I'm glad. I know that I was a bit sceptical about the situation...But Zayn is doing more in four months or so than Mattias or Mike did in all that time you were with each other. Does Louis know you told Zayn?”

Liam nodded, a large grin breaking out as he thought of Louis and Harry.

“Yeah, they're both thrilled. Maybe more now that my kits are going to have a cousin to play with. Harry's also breeding. He's about three months now. Louis is also going to take paternity leave starting in September.”

“Fuck me! Really? That's grand! I'll give him a ring to congratulate them then!”

Kerys agreed and the conversation veered more into talks of baby tips until Iwan and Aine started fussing for their afternoon naps. They said their goodbyes and Liam went upstairs to see what his parents were up to.

~*~*~*~*~

Zayn woke up, his head a bit fuzzy, but far better than a couple of days ago, when he had last Skyped with Liam. Although his memory was a bit unclear for certain parts of it, he was pretty sure that he remembered telling Liam that he loved him. Ed had filled in the blanks and hadn't teased him about any of it. Well, the practically shouting his love and excitement of his kits to all and sundry had been something Ed couldn’t well leave alone. Especially since Zayn was usually so reserved about sharing those kinds of emotions with _himself_ , never mind the world. But the part where he had told Liam he was in love, no. Or that Zayn was fully aware of Liam's reticence in actually voicing his feelings. All of that he had treated respectfully and Zayn had been grateful for that sensitivity.

Especially since he had to tell his family now that he was going to have kits in November and that he was going to leave London to be with Liam in a month or two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's reaction and accident-My brother fainted when he was told of his first kid. My cousin fell off a table. I guess that reaction was something that would be in keeping with Zayn, since he's so stunned and in shock that I can see him just floundering and this happening. I strongly suspect he'd also be that loopy in regards to good pain meds and more open than usual.  
> Ed and Zayn-Everyone has that friend that keeps them out of trouble. Niall and Louis are that for Liam and Ed is that for Zayn here. I still haven't decided if Ed has his own kits or not.  
> Canadian Stereotypes-I want to say it's not true, but we SERIOUSLY apologize over everything. It's the culture. So even though Liam was born in the UK, he had been Canadianized. And yes, we do say "Eh". It's so true. There might be culture exchange/shock happening later on. 
> 
> Thanks to all that are reading and commenting and having as much fun reading as I am writing it! Cheers!


	7. Won't Make Promises To You That I Can't Keep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Zayn and Liam are preparing to take the next step, Liam's health becomes precarious and makes Zayn take action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was planning to get this out earlier, but I've been terribly sick myself and just have finished this. Again, proofed and edited, but mistakes do happen and I will fix them as fast as possible. 
> 
> Title is from "Stuff and Nonsense" by the Split Enz.

_Liam/Zayn-Edmonton and London_

He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose to push back the tiredness that was still looming in the back of his head and made his eyes burn. His arm ached, but it was the dull throb that wouldn’t take the heavy doses he had been taking the first days after. He was relieved about that, since he could finally think about how he was going to approach the conversation and the logistics of it.

“ _I need to talk to Liam first though.”_ Zayn thought as he wriggled awkwardly until he was half sitting up against the headboard and pillows of the guest bed in Ed’s flat. Despite the breakthrough of both of them finally admitting what had been unspoken for so long between them, he had to bring it up with Liam, this plan of his.

He felt that Liam would welcome having him in Edmonton to be there for the birth of the kits and also for the nesting afterward. Yet he didn't want to be arrogant and over-step his authority. Liam was highly independent. Long years of loneliness and being fucked over had made him self-reliant and even with the kits in his belly, he was calling the shots.

It made him smile, how despite being an Alpha, he was the one that was quite fine with obeying Liam's wishes, rather than demanding Liam do as he said. He knew his buddy Ant and maybe some of his cousins would call him whipped, but he didn't give a fuck. He wasn't all that hung up on Alpha and Omega roles when it came to him and Liam.

He wasn't going to spoil a good thing just because he was a sexist prick. Even though it would mean curbing his impatience after asking Liam about the situation. He would wait until Liam agreed and he would make all the necessary arrangements. He'd have to sublet his flat and studio for awhile and talk to his agent. He was glad that his last show had been as successful as it had been and how well all of the paintings had sold, since it gave him breathing room for a good while. He had finished a couple of commissions and that would have his name out there for awhile as well. He was golden and he hoped that maybe he'd be able to find inspiration in Liam's hometown.

Nodding to himself as he got that sorted out, he pushed himself out of bed and thanked his lucky stars he hadn't broken his dominant arm. It was enough of a pain in the arse that he had one arm out of order. Ed, as much of a saint that man was, hadn't hesitated in heckling him when he asked for help in washing his hair after taping up his cast in a bin liner as to not get it wet. He groaned when he realised it was going to be the norm until he was healed.

The other option was to move back home to Bradford for a bit and have his mum look after him, but the idea was discarded as soon as he thought about it. It was bad enough to be a nineteen year old concussed after a rugby game coming back home to be looked after. But a thirty-something man? No. He'd never heard the end of it, that was for certain.

So he grit his teeth and resolved to suck it up under Ed's well meaning, but merciless teasing until he was back to his usual self. Rolling his eyes, he looked at the desk and picked up his phone, checking to see if anyone had left messages while he was out. No one had and that made him breathe a sigh of relief. He was still out of sorts with himself and wasn't in the mood to see or talk to anyone that wasn't Ed, Liam, or his mum.

He hummed in satisfaction and was about to put the phone down when he saw that it was Liam on Skype calling him. Without hesitation, he accepted the call only to find a dark haired man with bright blue eyes on the other side.

“Are you Zayn?”

“Yeah, Zayn Malik. Who are you? Where's Liam?” Zayn asked, worry starting to creep up when he saw that instead of Liam's sage green room, it was the blandly impersonal, boring pastel walls of hospital. He knew that despite the different countries, the décor always tended to be the same: bland, neutral, and cold.

“Louis Tomlinson. I'm a friend of Liam and he's in King George VI hospital.”

Zayn's eyes widened and he felt the bottom of his stomach drop. “What? Why is he in hospital? Did he los-”

Louis' shook his head frantically. “NO! NO! He's still carrying them. No. Liam dropped. I don't know why exactly he did, but I was with him when it happened. I took him here, but I'm not quite the Alpha that he needs.”

Zayn's mouth went dry as Louis' words sunk in. Louis wasn't the Alpha that Liam needed. Liam had dropped because the bond needed to be renewed. The kits...

“How is he then? Can he hold off long enough for me to get to him?”

Louis bit his lip, but nodded. “Two days at the most. He's a tough bastard, but even he has his limits.”

Zayn nodded curtly. “Alright. I'll be on the next flight of London then. Where will you be?”

“Here. Just Skype me with your flight number so I or Kerys, Niall's Alpha, can come and pick you up at the airport. Alright?”

Zayn agreed and they ended the call after that. He exited the room with his phone clutched tightly and went into the kitchen, where Ed and Taylor were sitting with cups of tea in front of them. Ed took one look at his face and he didn't hesitate to put his cup down and walk toward Zayn.

“I need you to book me a flight to Edmonton. One way. Liam's dropped.”

Taylor gasped and Ed wrapped his arms around Zayn, who was slightly shaking as the weight of what he had just told his friend hit him. His Omega, his strong, independent Omega, had dropped and he needed to get him out of it fast. He wasn't going to lose Liam and the kits because he wasn't there. Fuck that. He had to go. He had to fix it.

He clung onto Ed, ignoring the small yelp that his friend made when his claws popped out. He would apologize for it later. Right now, his focus was on Liam and the kits.

Ed's voice was pained and slightly strained, but he managed to break through the concern.

“Okay. We can do that Zayn. Taylor's going to take care of it. I'll help you pack. Don't worry, Zayn. It's going to be okay. It's all going to be okay.”

Zayn nodded and let Ed lead him back to his room and do exactly as he promised that he would.

~*~*~*~*~

Liam groaned when he looked out the window and saw that it was yet another unbearably hot summer day. He knew that August was always hot. But it was the middle of the month that always was a sticky, swampy hell. It was the start of the month that should have been the transitioning phase from the dry heat of July to the wet, sticky heat that he recalls all too clearly from Southeast Asia. The kind that made him feel like he had a film of sweat on his skin and grease that he couldn’t scrub off no matter how hard he tried.

It was bad enough when he wasn’t breeding. It’s worse now, since he’s getting bigger and the kits are active and the dizziness and puking have come back with a vengeance. His doctor is looking a bit worried, since Liam is older and this is his first viable pregnancy and its twins also. Those are all danger signs that signal a possible drop and he’s been going in more often to get checked up on just in case.

His doctor was making noises about admitting him early to keep a closer eye on him in case that he dropped. Although his parents and sister had been great as had Niall and Louis in keeping an eye on him, without an Alpha to be there twenty-four seven, the doctor was nervous.

Liam understood. He was also starting to get afraid for the health of his kits. He had been trying to bring himself to ask Zayn to come to Canada already. He had already checked the protocols and had the links ready to direct Zayn to the proper channels _just in case._ Yet with Zayn being out of his head the last time they had talked and him being sick and unable to do anything but curl up in bed and drink ginger ale, it hadn't been possible.

He just hoped that today, when the pain in his side wasn't as tear-inducing as it had been a couple of days ago and the kits being a little calmer, he could do more. He was supposed to be going with Louis to the park like they used to when they were kids. Grab some Coke slurpees and just chill by the benches while they got soaked by the water sprinklers at the park that they discovered when they were thirteen. They hadn't had time together like that since they had come home and Harry's pregnancy had decided to be difficult, with him developing hyperemesis gravidarum and needing to be in the hospital for the rest of his pregnancy.

Louis had been beside himself, as had Harry, since it meant being stuck inside until November and missing out on everything that Louis had always talked about. He had been upset, horribly so and that meant Louis was barely around. Between Harry and his family, Louis was pretty busy and Liam understood. His life was fairly relaxed and he relished the stress-free time he had before the kits and Zayn arrived.

Not that Zayn was going to be added stress, but with how busy people were telling him he would be with the twins coming and with them renewing their ties...Liam figured it was going to be a hectic shock when the time happened. So he chilled with Niall, talked to his parents when they were free, and helped fixed up the spare room that his mother had promised would be for his use and the kits when they arrived. She wouldn't hear of him staying in his basement room and had enlisted his sisters and their mates in painting and assembling furniture that had been bought in preparation for the kits' arrival. So even though he couldn't really hang out with his mate and was worrying about seeming needy and asking Zayn to come, his life was pretty full.

Other than the more frequent bouts of sickness and exhaustion, he was fine.

That was what he told himself when he woke up and went to the bathroom to do his business and clean off the grime that clung to his skin. He was fine and today was going to be good. He and Louis would chill, they'd talk about their significant others (Liam would no doubt run his idea and his worries at seeming too clingy or needy while Louis would quietly freak out about Harry and the kit) and then they'd go home. No trouble. Just a simple day.

Liam told himself that as he pushed some residual sickness away and got ready for the day, texting Louis for an ETA and going to the dining area of his house to sit down and wait. Usually, he'd be wandering around aimlessly until Louis showed, but his back wasn't having any of that. So he grabbed a glass of water and sat down to wait. He scrolled through his social media, laughing at some ridiculous things he found when he heard the screen door open.

“Hey! Liam! You ready?” Louis called out as he stepped past the partition between the dining area and the front door. Although he looked tired, his smile was bright as he made his way towards Liam, who was smiling back as he braced himself to stand up. He had grown more recently and was starting to have problems standing up without help.

Liam stood up and was about to tell Louis he was ready when the dizziness hit out of nowhere. He closed his eyes and willed it to go away when his hearing went high pitched and then off and the next thing he knew was that Louis' arms were around him and then it was black.

~*~*~*~*~

Even though Niall had seen Zayn when Liam Skyped with him, it was still a shock to see the Alpha coming in from the arrivals gate, his hoodie half open to accommodate his injured arm and a backpack hanging on his shoulder from one strap. He had an aura about him that made others nervous, but his eyes were the kicker for Niall: Wide and gold, they looked lost and haunted as he searched the crowds and saw Niall and Kerys standing there.

“Are you Niall and Kerys?” He asked in a low, smokey voice with just a hint of a northern accent. It wasn't quite like Louis' rough Doncaster one, but it wasn't as smooth as Liam's own.

“Yeah, that's us. You got any bags?” Kerys asked as she fished her keys out of her pockets.

Zayn shook his head. “Didn't want to lose as much time as I had already. I can always get my mum or my mates to send me stuff if I can't find it here.”

Kerys nodded. “Alright. I'm just parked outside. We should be at George six in about 40 mins. Any other questions about Liam, Niall can answer them for you. I gotta focus on driving, since our lovely city grows crops of morons who think they can drive.”

Zayn's mouth twitched at that blunt statement despite his palpable worry and the aura settled down a bit. Enough so that Niall was able to approach him and take his backpack from him. Zayn let him, knowing that if Liam had been present, he would have done the same thing for him. He wasn't _that_ proud to not accept help when it was offered, no matter who offered it. Besides, his arm was starting to hurt with the weight of the bag, even if it only had his essentials in it.

The car was parked by the door and it was in no time that Kerys was pulling out and intro traffic. Niall and Zayn sat in the back with Zayn's bag between them before Niall spoke.

“Liam's stable. He's not gotten worse since Louis called you. He's been spending some time with him and that's made the drop recede a bit. But he's not awake. The kits are moving and their vitals are steady.”

Zayn nodded and blew out a big breath, the tension in his shoulders lessening at the news. Liam and his kits were okay for now. They weren't great, but they weren't getting any worse and _wouldn't_ do so now that he was here. Even though part of him bristled at the fact that Louis was the one that they had turned to during that time, he quickly shut down that train of thought. He knew he was being an idiot thinking that and stopped that thinking quickly. If Louis hadn't been there, things would have been a lot worse and there would be _nothing_ for him to go to. So he dropped that train of thought and focused on the positives instead.

They had a future still. There wouldn't be a distance between them any longer and they would see each other in the flesh. Their bond would be renewed and once Liam was on the mend, they would have the talk that both of them had been delaying.

That was what he kept in his mind on when he turned to look at Niall, who was trying to be casual, but was clearly concerned about what Zayn was going to stay next.

“Thank you. For telling me and taking care of him when I couldn't. It means a whole lot to me.”

Niall's face lit up and he ducked his head, his cheeks flushed pink with happiness at pleasing an Alpha. Even though Kerys was his Alpha, the instinct to keep any distressed Alpha calm and happy was too strong to resist. Zayn reached over and patted him on the shoulder, eliciting a purr that made him glance at the rear-view mirror to gauge Kery's reaction. Their eyes met, but she only shrugged and kept on driving.

“Don't make it a habit, yeah?” She added casually as she methodically swerved through slow drivers and got them onto the direction that had an overhead green sign that proclaimed “King George VI Hospital” in white letters and an arrow that they passed under.

“Got it.” Both Zayn and Niall replied before falling silent. Zayn was usually quiet and he knew from prior conversations that Niall loved to chatter, but wasn't in the right frame of mind to do so at the moment. Not when his Alpha had lightly rebuked him for his behaviour. Even though both of them could tell that Kerys wasn't as bothered as other Alphas would have been over that exchange, it could easily get worse with the heightened emotions of everyone in the car.

To mitigate the awkwardness, Kerys switched on the radio and music filled the rest of the ride to the hospital, which didn't take as long as Zayn had expected. Although he didn't notice much of what was whizzing past and his eyes felt like he had rubbed grit in them, he forced himself to stay awake and alert as Kerys paid for the parking and pulled in. Niall helped him out and grabbed his bag, handing it to Kerys, who locked it in the trunk before they led him up to a newer looking part of the pale beige, white and green building that bore the name of the departed monarch in brightly lit, white letters.

“This way. He's on the fourth floor. It's a good hospital, despite the location.” Niall supplied as they walked through a bright atrium and took the lift to an equally bright and cheerful floor decorated with the usual baby decorations. The Omega and Neonatal unit. Zayn inhaled sharply and exhaled as he got himself focused. Liam. The kits.

He dutifully followed Kery and Niall as they walked up to the front desk and spoke quickly to the nurses there.

“You're Liam Payne's Alpha?”

His head snapped up as the beta nurse spoke to him. He nodded, his mouth dry and unable to form words as he signalled all of them to follow her.

They walked past a few open or curtained off rooms until they stopped in front of ones that had no walls, but were clear perspex from ceiling to floor. Privacy was only obtained by the thick curtains that could be drawn, but were wide open and showing him an unconscious and nearly dead looking Liam.

Zayn whined deep in his throat at the sight of Liam lying so still and so pale in the hospital bed, the bump of his stomach barely covered by light blankets and tubes and lines going into various points in his body. This was a far cry from the Omega he had watched sleep in Dublin and Galway. His mate.

He whined again as he moved forward, his exhaustion and fear replaced only by the need to call his mate back. To fix this.

Liam stirred at this whine and it was all the encouragement that Zayn needed.

Without hesitating, he crawled into Liam's bed and curled his body around his mate's unconscious form. Liam's eyelids twitched and a small sound of need escaped his chapped lips. Zayn replied, scenting him with the cinnamon and nutmeg scent that he exuded, erasing any other scent on him. Liam moaned and his eyes finally opened to look at Zayn.

“Z-Z-Zayn?” He stuttered, his voice breathy and barely a whisper as his own scent rose and then changed to the warm apple pie that it had been in Ireland.

“Yeah, Li. I'm here. I'm here. I'm not going away unless you tell me to. Alright?”

Zayn whispered as he scented Liam again, his own spicy scent subsumed into the apple pie one as Liam moved further and further away from the dropspace and back to wakefulness.

His eyes went black when he registered what Zayn was saying to him and his mouth curled up into that half smile that Zayn had missed _so fucking much._ His face was flushed with colour and he bared his neck for Zayn to mark again.

“Alright.”

Zayn's canines flashed and he bit down hard, making Liam yowl and his body flood with hormones again before the urge to do the same to Zayn hit him. He didn't know how he found the strength to move so that his mouth was brushing Zayn's neck, but he did it and bit down, making Zayn roar like he had the first time they had mated. It was only then, with both of them biting each other that they felt something like a mental 'click' happen and a sense of well-being and completion flood through them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drops-I know that in other verses, Subdrops are usually an answer to stress or a bond breaking. In Liam's case, his health is starting to fail and since he hasn't seen, scented, or mated Zayn in almost five months, his bond is starting to wear and that forced him into a drop. He's sort of in a coma and since his kits are relying on him, he needs that rebonding fast or all of them could die.   
> Uk/Canada reciprocity-Since we were a colony of the UK and are part of the Commonwealth, we can travel without visas and stay for up to six months in either country.   
> Harry-He's got horrible morning sickness that can make both mother and child quite ill. I know two people who've had it. One had to be monitored her entire pregnancy.


	8. I Want To Say I Do. The Question Is: Do You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam's still very much haunted by his past and waiting for Zayn to show him he's right to be. While Zayn only wants to unravel the threads of the past to figure out how to help Liam heal from his past hurts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there might be a few things here that could be triggering for people. There is talk of past abuse in relationships and the problems that come with getting (or not) over such treatment. Louis could be seen as breaking confidences, but he trusts Zayn and both of them have the best interests of Liam at heart. 
> 
> It's a grey area with these two, since it is for a good cause. Ends and means, yo. 
> 
> Proofed, but if mistakes appear, I will get to them as soon as possible. Title is from Placebo's "I Do"

Liam blearily opened his eyes and groaned quietly. This was the third time that he had woken up sticky, hot, and uncomfortable. He had managed to go back to sleep the first three times, but he knew that it wasn't going to happen again. Not with his bladder screaming at him and the irrational urge to shove the furnace that was Zayn away from him to get to the loo.

He rubbed his eyes and pushed away from Zayn, careful to do it slowly unless he didn't want to be grabbed and pinned right back against his side. Zayn, ever since the reciprocal mating in the hospital, had turned into an octopus. Liam was actually quite surprised that he had practically fallen into Zayn's arms and downright chirruped and preened at the act. He had hated it with Mike, though, since he was always grabbing Liam in the middle of chores or his own quiet time. Never when Liam was actually needing it or craving it and then being told he was a nuisance and ungrateful.

So he had learned to tolerate it and to self-soothe. It was no coincidence that was the time that his hoodie collection had grown. He had also learned to knit, since handling the textures of wool helped ease the craving enough for him to function.

Liam wasn't as tactile as other Omegas and it had been a major fighting point between himself and his alphas during their turbulent matings. Matthias had been the one to bring it out in Liam. It had been the one thing that had broken Liam badly when Matthias had turned abusive and then fucked off. He had learned to like an Alpha's touch and to have it turn into a twisted and perverted thing had done a number on him. The horror and disgust and the having to force himself off of it had been a nightmarish and usually alcohol filled endeavour. 

Liam winced and forced himself to not think about the near alcohol poisoning and loneliness that had gone on right after that. He had vowed to never speak or relive it again. It had been a painful and nearly deadly lesson. Almost as painful as going against his instincts for years. He still didn't know how he had survived the solitary without going insane.

It had been during that period of emptiness that Liam had promised himself that if he ever got lucky enough to find an Alpha, he'd not reject their touch. Within reason. Nearly wetting his pajamas was a valid reason. He still was embarrassed and remorseful that the last time this had happened, he had had to bite Zayn to be set free. He had been desperate to not wet the bed and even though Zayn had understood, Liam still felt like an utter wanker for doing that.

 He had apologized before rushing (okay, he was actually waddling at that point, but wouldn't admit it to anyone else except himself) off to the loo. Had apologized after and had let Zayn treat him like a teddy in bed until Zayn had finally put a stop to it. Liam had to admit that it was a relief that it had happened, since he didn't know how to do it himself.

He had also found himself immensely grateful, rather than resenting the connection they had through the fully realised and reciprocal bond. _That_ had been the one thing he figured he would have to learn to accept and get used to. Niall and Harry had raved and thought it was the best part of the deal. Liam hated the idea of having someone be privy to so much. Sure, it brought so much intimacy, but the vulnerability wasn't something that he was keen on having.

Yet Zayn...He looked over to his Alpha as he finally got himself extricated and couldn't stop the soft smile spreading over his face. Zayn was the one Alpha he could let see all of that and not be afraid it would be used against him. Zayn hadn't minded and had shared that part of himself with Liam, making him realise that it was exactly like how Niall and Harry had said: A doorway that both could enter and close by mutual agreement.

So he hadn't been surprised when Zayn had finally addressed it after giving Liam enough space and time before he took action.

“Li, babe, I know you are sorry about what happened. I know it was an emergency. I've forgiven you already.  It's done. Let it go. I have.”

Zayn had murmured as Liam had futilely tried to say more. But Zayn kissed him and mouthed over the deep scar of his bonding mark.

“That's cheating.” Liam murmured, despite his eyes fluttering and his entire body relaxing against Zayn as had been the point of the action.

Zayn had laughed quietly and kissed the mark deeply, making Liam mewl and go completely lax in Zayn's arms. Maybe it had been cheating, but it had been effective and things were more or less back to normal between them.

Which, for some reason, included Liam needing to be a ninja to get the loo if Zayn was asleep and using him like an overstuffed teddy bear. It was better than Liam had ever thought it would be with an Alpha and with kits on the way.

So why the fuck did he feel like there was more to come?  
~*~*~*~*~

Zayn was in the backyard, enjoying the quiet and a spliff that Louis had pressed onto him as he waited for the other Alpha to arrive. They had somehow developed a bond faster than he had expected and ever since he had started to get worried about Liam, he was glad that they did. He needed to talk to someone about his suspicions.

He took a hit and held it, staring at the impossibly bright blue sky framed by the roofs of the town houses and the pine trees all over the place. He liked those trees. Out of all the things that he found utterly pretty in Canada, it was the amount of wooded areas. He had already filled half of his sketchbook with drawings just from wandering around the neighbourhood that Liam, despite making deprecating remarks about, was clearly attached to.

“The site of my misspent childhood.” He would say as they slowly made their way through backroads and parks that made up the somewhat suburban spread of Edmonton. It was so weird for Zayn to have so much room and to keep on walking for maybe an hour or so and still be in the same area. After London, Edmonton positively felt like he was in the country. One with a ton of trees and a never ending sky that didn't get dark until late at night, even in September.

Louis had told him to enjoy it. As had Liam's mum and Kerys.

“Winter whelpings are something else. The sun goes down fast here and it makes Omegas and their urges go haywire. Enjoy the sun now that you can.”

He had been unclear about it still until Louis explained why it was going to be the case.

Their omegas would be in full on whelping mode and would rely heavily on them once that happened. Winter births were harder on the Omegas, since the dark turned their protective instincts on high. He didn't quite know what the hell it was about, really. All he knew was that it was an evolutionary holdout from before, when Omegas left alone with a litter in winter were prime targets for kidnapping and exploitation from other prides. They looked more inward and it was an Alpha's job to keep them tethered to the rest of the world by the their bond and by having them feel safe enough to leave their nests.

Zayn had looked it up after that night and made extensive notes as well as he was able. Read up on it and felt slightly panicked as it hit him how much Liam needed him there, but wouldn't say. How much their kits survival depended on him being there due to some biological and emotional markers that he couldn't even begin to explain.  How Dublin wasn't just a one off the minute that they had mated and conceived. They were together and yet...Zayn didn't quite understand why Liam was holding back so much still.

It made Zayn scowl at the sky when he thought about exactly how little he had learned when he had come to live with Liam in Edmonton. It was so odd that even though they were technically living in Liam's childhood home, there were actually very few mementoes that would give Zayn an idea of what Liam was like.

There were family pictures of Liam's nieces and nephews, his sisters (All of them had somehow ended up as Omegas with large litters to boot) one or two old family portraits, and a ridiculous picture that Liam explained had been done because he was always away for family pictures. It showed Liam, his mother, two sisters and Moggy, Liam's black and white cat, posed in Wild West regalia.

“I figured that if I was going to do it, I was going to go big or go home.” Liam explained, making Zayn laugh and start making plans for one of their own. It was a perfect mix of kitsch and cute and he could see that being more appealing than the usual posed crap at the studio. But other than that, there wasn't much to go on. Liam's dad was something no one talked about and Zayn had picked up enough on Liam's nuances to know that was a conversation that wasn't going to happen.

His sisters had their own lives and his mum worked long shifts, so there weren't many people he could talk to about Liam. Sure, he did speculate a whole lot with Ed over what could have happened, but it wasn't the same as getting it from the source. Or even breaching that conversation. Liam was a timebomb of emotions ever since they had renewed the bond and Liam had reciprocated it.

He also had been taken aside and warned that Liam, despite managing well, was still very fragile. It was a tight-rope situation that Louis had known all too well and had been quite happy to get some weed to ease the edge off. It was working well, but Zayn knew that the stalemate wasn't going to hold off for long. Especially since he could feel the low-level tension thrumming through the bond that they shared, which got worse that time that Liam had bit him.

He honestly didn't care that happened, since he knew he slept like the dead and he reacted to Liam's warmth by clinging to it as strongly as he possibly could. It usually didn't lead to problems, except when Liam needed to run to the loo and Zayn was totally out of it. In fact, he had actually felt bad that Liam had to resort to such measures in the morning. He had tried to apologize, but Liam had beat him to it. And had continued, each time he did, the edge of panic clear in the words even if they weren't clear to Liam. There was a silver line of fear there. Strong enough for him to taste and worry about. Especially when Liam had gone limp. It wasn't right and Zayn had acted quickly. Assuring him that he was fine, but Liam's fear was still there.

It wasn't until he had talked to Louis about it that he got the idea to bite down on the mark.

“It's technically a bit of a cheat, but it sounds like you need to use it on him. Even though he's pretty level-headed, he has his moments.”

Louis had added, chewing on his bottom lip and his eyes going a bit gold at the edges before he turned to Zayn and sighed.

“Has he talked about his exes to you?”

Louis took the silence as a no and swore quietly, rubbing his forehead as he wondered exactly what he should say to his best mate's Alpha. Zayn only watched him as he worked it through.

“Okay. He's cagey as fuck sometimes and I usually wouldn't, but if he needs to be bitten again, then yeah. Fuck it. I'll drop by on Monday. Have a couple of these until then.”

Zayn had done as Louis had suggested and it had worked. Yet he could still taste a faint trace of silver fear and had gone to the back to smoke and calm his impatience until Louis showed.

“Yo! Got a headstart, I see. Where's Li?”

Louis asked as he reached over the gate and opened the door, letting himself in and pulling a smoke out of his pocket and lighting it before sitting down beside Zayn.

“Out with his sister. There was shopping involved and I got the hint she wanted him alone. And Harry?”

“Still at the hospital. Still cranky he's sick. So we got the house to ourselves?”

Zayn nodded. “You want a drink?”

“Nah. I'm good for now. Anyways, How is he?”

“Better. He's stopped apologizing. But he's still...weird. He doesn't think that I picked up on it, but I know it's there.”

Louis took a hit, held it and blew out the smoke that curled up lazily around his head.

“He would. See, his first Alpha was a passive-aggressive shit and would punish Liam by with-holding affection when Liam needed it, and smothering him when he didn't want it. His Alpha then made him feel ungrateful and that stressed him out hardcore. I think losing the kit was the death knell for them. But that scarred him. Maybe even more than other things that happened to him as a kit.”

Zayn swore quietly and was glad of the weed in his system, or he'd go hunting that fucker. No wonder why Liam wasn't as tactile as other Omegas. Being messed about with like that would do a number on someone's psyche.

“His last Alpha was just plain out abusive. Physically and emotionally and Liam self-medicated to the point that I had to step in and drag his ass to hospital and test his kidney function. Once he got the numbers back, he stopped. I pulled him out of there when I came by just in time to see Matthias put Liam's head through the wall.”

He paused for effect and to let Zayn take a hit to calm his nerves. His hands were shaking and he was torn between rage and sadness at what Liam had gone through. At what he had kept locked up and what he-

“Does he think I'm going to do the same thing? Does he think I'm going to turn out like _them_?”

Zayn whispered, feeling sick at the thought of ever hurting Liam. How anyone could think it was okay to hurt him went beyond his comprehension. Even if Liam had been not at his best...To have someone go against his instincts and to think that there was punishment coming...No.

Louis' mouth twisted. “I don't want to put words in his mouth, but yeah. Look...He's gone through a whole lot of shit. He has worked through it, but it's not the same and being alone all those years probably didn't help any. You're the best Alpha that he's known in ages. But he's still stuck in that pattern.”

Zayn nodded. He knew it made sense, but he still couldn't help the sorrow and disgust that built up in him at the thought of how badly Liam had been hurt.

“I won't hurt him. Even at my worst, I wouldn't dream of treating an Omega like that, never mind him.”

He made a mental note to apologize to Perrie and Gigi when he got back to England. He knew he had been an egotistical jerk with them. He just hoped that he hadn't hurt them like those two bastards had hurt Liam.

Louis nodded. “I know. It's just a question of _Liam_ knowing that.”

“How do I get that through him, then?”

Louis took one last hit of the spliff and put it out, saving the roach in an Altoids tin.

“Talk to him honestly. Stay with him when he needs it. Basically, what you're doing right now and be consistent with it. Words are nice for Liam. But action goes further with him.”

Zayn nodded. “Gotcha. Thanks for this.”

“No problem. Li's my friend. He deserves some happiness.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, both of them pretty lost in their heads when they heard the front door.

“Zayn? Are you home?”

~*~*~*~*

Liam was bloody tired. So tired that he could barely keep his eyes open to stack the dishes that they had used for the impromptu dinner that had been put together once Niall had popped by on a whim with loads of Chinese and Thai. Louis had been thrilled and had rushed to get some drinks while Zayn had cleaned up and set the table before Liam could even _think_ of doing it.

“Your arm-”

“It's nearly at a hundred percent. Li. Babe, you're going to have my kits in about two months. Let me do this for you, okay?”

Zayn had interrupted his protests and instead, sat him down while the action moved on around them. Once the food and drinks had been parcelled out, the conversation flowed and Liam forgot how tired he was. The visit to his sister's was always lovely and he did pick up a few things for the nest he had forgotten earlier, but he was beat.

He forgot that when Louis and Niall showed up and when Zayn got it all sorted. He was having too much fun and he treasured the time that they were together. So he made the effort and thought that he had done fairly well. He had that training from having to stay and entertain Matthias's family even when he was exhausted and bored as all out.

“I hate to cut it short, but I don't want for Harry to be alone. I'll catch you guys later? Hopefully at the hospital?”

Niall agreed easily. “For sure. I'll stop by if you want to go, Li. I'll follow you, Lou. Don't want to leave the kits too long.”

They made their farewells and Liam headed to the kitchen to pick up the dishes and start to wash them.

“Hey, hey, No. Li. You're falling asleep. Go lie down. I'll take care of it, yeah?”

Zayn told him as he took the plates and put them in the sink before wrapping his arm around Liam's waist and helping him upstairs.

Once they were there, Zayn waited for Liam to get ready in the bathroom before tucking him into the nest that their bed had become, with Zayn's jumpers and his hoodies added to the blankets that he scented almost everyday at Liam's request.

“Good night babe. I'll be back soon. Love you.”

Liam nodded drowsily as he tilted his face up to receive Zayn's kiss. He mumbled something and Zayn didn't react until he was at the sink.

He gripped the sides tightly, his knuckles turning white as he turned the phrase over and over in his mind.

_“I know. You would have destroyed me by now if you didn't.”_

If he ever found those fuckers, Zayn promised himself that he would tear them into tiny pieces for hurting Liam so painfully that he was still that badly scarred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zayn-He's a bit of a jerk, but he's starting to see that actions DO have consequences and is trying to change for the better. He loves Liam, but he isn't changing simply _for_ or to keep Liam. He wants to change because he wants to be a better person and be a good Alpha.   
>  Liam- His story will come from him in the next few chapters. I do have a reason for him being so reticent about his past. He knows he should open up and share, but he really can't at the moment. Doesn't meant he won't later on.  
> Edmonton-It's a quasi and pseudo sort of like what you have here. I will describe it as closely as possible, but there are things changed for dramatic license. Fun fact-It is the Northernmost city in North America with a million people.  
> Nesting/Kits-Since many animals have sets and dens for giving birth, I figured this would be the same pattern with the Omegas. More will be written about the nests later.


	9. This Confidence In Me And You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam seeks advice from Niall once he finally makes the decision to not let the fragile situation with Zayn break completely. Ed gives Zayn good news and an insight on what could be done between himself and Liam before the conversation takes place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoah. I am not sure how I ended up writing yet another chapter within a couple of days, but here we are. I also will warn for this specific chapter that there are situations, such as the past relationship abuse, slight drug/alcohol abuse, and miscarriage that could be triggering. I have tagged this, but just in case, proceed with caution. 
> 
> Proofed, but again, if I miss stuff, I will go back and edit. Title of the chapter breaks come from Placebo's cover of "Running up that Hill", "Special K" and Matthew Barber's "And You Give" Title for this chapter is from Placebo's "I Do".

_Liam- Come on darling, let's exchange the experience_

Liam was aware that something was still desperately out of synch with Zayn after that night when he had come home to find him talking to Louis. He suspected that it had to do with his unremitting silence on the past and the way that he was waiting for Zayn to fuck up. He hated to admit that was what he was waiting for. That Zayn was going to show his true colours and make him regret falling head over heels for him. That his kits were going to be bartering pieces between them and that he had fucked up again.

He realized as the days kept getting shorter and they spent time together, talking and getting the nest set up and going to appointments that he really was quite clueless about Zayn. He also wanted to kick himself for not having an expiry date on the rule he had imposed in Dublin. He wanted to sit Zayn down and talk. About everything and anything, but he was utterly at a loss as to how to instigate that conversation. Especially since he had a sense of it from the bond that pulsed with familiarity...Yet he hadn't the concrete facts that he needed to make a full picture of Zayn and stop the insidious doubt that was creeping up in his mind about Zayn. The whispers that classified him in the same category as Mike and Matthias.

He also knew that wandering around the labyrinth of his mind was the worst way to go about it and that he needed another perspective to see him through it.

He saw the lines of worry bracketing Zayn's mouth and the smoke scent that clung to his clothes and knew that he couldn't leave for much longer. They were both starting to fray badly and October was looming closer. They couldn't be fragmented before November. He couldn't repay Zayn's fidelity with all this doubt and holding onto the past. He needed to get his shit together.

“Niall? You busy? I need your help on something.”

~*~*~*~*~

He found himself sitting beside Niall on a park bench not too far from the downtown core where Kerys worked in Canada Place. Liam wasn't quite sure what she did, but it had to do something with passports and Niall often made the trip to meet her for lunch whenever his mum had free time to look after Aine and Iwan. Niall had made some kind of deal with Kerys and had instead taken Liam out to talk.

It wasn't often that Liam made that kind of request, so he honoured it. Once they had eaten and had grabbed tea at the Czech bistro that was older than both of them, they made their way to the quiet part of town to talk. Something that was proving harder for Liam to do, despite him wanting desperately to do so.

They had sat quietly for ten minutes, basking in the last of the summery sunshine before Niall finally broke the silence.

“Is it about Zayn that you need to talk about?”

Liam nodded, taking a sip of the decaffeinated tea as he tried to force his recalcitrant thoughts into a semblance of logic.

“Part of me knows that I'm fucking up being paranoid that he's going to turn out like Mike and Matthias and part of me knows that's not true. I know that's mostly due to us not really talking about the past, like I requested we not do when we were in Dublin.”

He chewed on his lip as he looked out the river valley that spread in front of them.

“I just...I don't want him knowing about my dad, the shit with my exes...The kits, because I don't want to see me as someone utterly fucked up and damaged. I want him to see Liam Payne first and not the sum of bad choices and scars. I don't want him to see me as some Omega he needs to heal and fix. Or worse, an Omega so fucked up that he'd take my kits away from me.”

Niall swore quietly as he too, followed Liam's gaze. “Liam...Christ, mate. Have you been fucking carrying all of that all this time? Is that why the bond frayed so damned fast?”

Liam bit his lip again, wincing when he drew a bit of blood. “Maybe? The doctors weren't quite sure. They said it could have added to it.”

Niall rubbed his face as he formulated a reply to the revelations. “Have you said anything to Zayn about it? He's the one that you have to talk to about this.”

“I know. I fucking know and I'm a bloody coward for not only keeping this quiet, but coming to you first as a dry run. I know. I just really don't know how to start this conversation.”

Niall snorted. “How about making a pot of tea, sitting his ass down and saying: “I need to talk to you, Zayn. I've not been exactly forthcoming with my feelings and my past.” That should do it. Direct and no more dancing about the issue.”

Liam let out a bark of dry laughter at that. “Talk about pulling no punches! I don't want to fucking stun him!”

Niall scowled as he turned to face Liam.

“Well, the time for being subtle and coy has passed, Liam. He's only human and I'll be honest, he's been a fucking saint with you. If we're going to compare him to other Alphas, let's be honest: Zayn has gone above and beyond for an Omega he bonded with accidentally. He didn't bail when you told him about the kits. He flew across the Atlantic to keep you and his kits safe. He's not leaving, mate.”

Liam's face was still and he wasn't even blinking when Niall spoke. His eyes were bleeding a bit black and Niall could have kicked himself for being so harsh, but he was fed up with Liam clinging to the walls he still had around his heart. Zayn had proven himself. Over and over again that he was worth letting them go. But if Liam didn't actually say anything...Niall knew Zayn wasn't going to willingly pay for past sins he hadn't committed and if he left, Liam would never recover.

And as brave as Liam was, this was his Achilles' heel. He wasn't being malicious, but he _was_ punishing Zayn all the same. And with each day they didn't resolve this, it meant that Liam was fulfilling his own prophecies. And Niall was damned if he was going to let that happen without a fight.

“Not unless you keep on pushing him away. Zayn cares and I know you're terrified. And don't fucking lie to me Liam James Payne, I _know_ you're bloody scared. You got what you wanted and you're too afraid of fucking it up. But Liam...You _will_ fuck it up if you don't talk to him. Take the chance and trust him. Once you do...You'll be surprised.”

Liam's face was flushed, but he didn't snap back at Niall. His best mate was right. As much as it pained him to admit it, Niall was right. He may have been a bit daft and easy-going, but it didn't mean that Niall didn't see more than other people.

“What if I talk to him and he decides he's done? What the fuck do I do then?”

Niall laughed softly as he put his arm around Liam's shoulders and brought him closer.

“Have you ever thought about what you will do if he stays? Not everything ends badly. Remember after Matthias left, you got fired and you lost the kit?”

Liam winced, but nodded. It had been a horrible time and he had more or less pushed it to the back of his mind. It wasn't a time that he thought about often. Only when he needed to get some perspective was it brought up.

“We had this same conversation, Liam and I know it's going to work out. Even then, I knew it was all going to work out. Just like I know it's going to work out. And if it doesn't, we'll be beside you until it does. But trust. Just a bit.”

Liam nodded and burrowed deeper into his friend. Despite the simplicity of Niall's words, Liam knew that Niall was right. He had proof of it. Even when he was stumbling about not knowing what was going to happen next, he had Niall and that small stubborn bit of determination and faith that it would work out. He had to hang onto that when he talked to Zayn today.

It was long past overdue that they needed to have that conversation.

_Zayn- You And Me Won't Be Unhappy_

He found himself smoking a whole lot and thinking about what Liam had let drop that night. He wanted to hunt those two fuckers down and tear them apart. Louis had been amused and Ed as well, but both had warned him that as satisfying as it would be, he didn't need to be deported when his kits were going to be born in less than six weeks.

That had been the first thing that Ed had said after he had rung up his mate and Zayn had explained the situation a bit.

“As much as I'd love to see you in London, I doubt Liam would be happy to whelp alone. Besides, I kind of have my hands full here. Taylor's pregnant.”

Ed had explained, his face flushed and proud as Zayn involuntarily broke into a grin.

“Ah! Congrats! That's grand! So when am I becoming an uncle?”

Ed had laughed and ducked his head as he looked off camera to where Taylor was sitting.

“Late April sometime. If you're here, we'd be honoured to have you.”

“Ah, thanks! I'll see. I'll be back in February. Visa requirements and all that. I might stay for a month or longer. Depends on what will happen with Liam.”

Ed's face got serious at Zayn's tone.

“Is he okay? I thought you guys were solid once you reciprocated the bond.”

“Healthwise...Yeah...But...Ed, when you mated with Taylor: How much did you know about her? Other than the basics, did you know about her siblings? Her exes? What she had gone through before she had met you?”

Ed rubbed his mouth before replying. “Some. Not all of it. I mean...It took me ages to ask her about that good looking dude with the sad blue eyes that she sometimes looked at pictures of and got sad about. I also didn't tell her about my little experiments with mdma and the Camden scene for almost a year after we knew each other.”

Zayn nodded. “It's just...I know there's bad stuff in Liam's past. Not like he _is_ a bad bloke. But like...He was hurt and I just know bits of it all. Louis told me about his Alphas being abusive dicks and I know he only told me about the kits he lost-”

Ed's eyes widened. “Wait...Jesus. Liam's a strong bastard. Other Omegas wouldn't have survived that. Much less tried again with another Alpha.”

Zayn blinked. “Wait...what? What do you mean?”

Ed grimaced as he typed something fast and squinted at his screen.

“Look...I'm not saying that Liam's in the right. You guys need to sit down and hash this all out. But in all honesty, Liam's tough to go against his instincts to keep away and trust you. Even though it doesn't seem like it, with the way that he's all cagey as hell... He trusts you, but he's fighting against running away once you get the whole story.”

Zayn's eyes widened and the old flare up of hurt that Louis' words brought up shot up again.

“I wouldn't! You know I wouldn't! I fucking _left_ England for him! I let him claim me! Why does he still think that way?”

“Because he's been lied to before. He's testing you and even though he doesn't quite understand or mean to, he's doing it. Remember when I lived in your flat for four months after Tay and I bonded?”

Zayn's brow furrowed as he recalled that time that Ed showed up completely pissed and with a backpack, his face red as he bawled out that he and Taylor were over. That she wouldn't let him in even though Ed loved her and wouldn't hurt her. That she just didn't believe he wasn't going to turn out like Jake and hurt her.

“She won't let it go, man. She just...I love her so fucking much! I wouldn't hurt her. Why doesn't she believe me? Why Zayn? I'd never hurt her. You believe me, yeah?”

Zayn had assured him that he had and put him to bed with water and paracetamol. They had gone out most weekends after that, with Ed trying to ease his pain and Zayn just out to score. They didn't really talk about it and Ed had sworn that it was over between him and Taylor after two months of him trying to talk to her and reassure her of his love and fidelity.

It hadn't been until Ed had started to look for flats in Zayn's block that Taylor had finally snapped and shown up at two in the morning in front of Zayn's place.

“Edward Sheeran! Edward Sheeran! ED!”

They had been on the roof and Ed had nearly fallen off if it hadn't been for Zayn grabbing his hoodie and pulling him back as he had leaned too far to see Taylor standing on the pavement with her heels in her hand, her hair in wet clumps and her dress soaked in the rain.

“Taylor? What the hell?”

“Edward Sheeran! Listen up cause you're only going to hear it once! I TRUST YOU! You hear me, Edward Sheeran! I TRUST YOU AND I KNOW YOU LOVE ME! NOW COME HOME!!”

Ed didn't need to be told twice, Zayn remembered. He had bolted down onto the pavement and grabbed his Omega, spinning her around in the rain a couple of times before kissing her deeply and both catching a cab home. Zayn hadn't seen them for two weeks after that, but when he did, both were the soppy, utterly in love couple he had always known.

“How could I? My entire building wouldn't stop talking about how romantic it all was. Seriously, it was something out of a movie, how you guys made up.”

Ed grinned, blushing at the memory before he got serious again.

“Yeah, well, I'm not saying that it's going to be like that with you, but you guys are having the same kind of issue that Taylor and I did. Liam knows he's being irrational and once he comes out and tells you everything...It will be all right. From what I have seen and heard of Liam...he's struggling at the moment. Once he figures it out...You'll see it's going to change for the better.”

Zayn nodded. “And what if it doesn't? What if it ends up like Perrie or-”

“Zayn...You gotta have a bit of faith, mate. It won't. Not with how far both of you have gone for each other. Liam could have kept his mouth shut about the kits and you could have stayed here. Neither of you did that. You're halfway. Go the distance.”

Zayn had nodded and they both looked at each other sharply. “Good luck.”

Zayn had ended the call and had gone down to the basement, where Liam's old bedroom had been and had been turned into an office. He was nervous and he knew that it was going to happen today, that conversation that they needed to have. But he needed a clear head and drawing was a sure way to get it. So he picked up one of the sketchbooks that Liam had given him, a pencil and began.

He didn't know how long he had been drawing until he felt a light touch on his neck that made him look up and smile at Liam, who was standing there looking at him fondly. Zayn found himself smiling back, despite the certainty that today, it was all going to come to a head.

“Tea's ready. Care to join me?”

_Liam- Bring it back, bring it back, we started too soon_

Liam was nervous as fuck as he poured out the tea into two large mugs and added milk to both of them. His hand shook a bit as he poured, but he was in control of himself as he handed the mug to Zayn and sat down beside him. He didn't want for it to be either a confession or an examination. He just wanted to talk. To explain and to build the bridge that Zayn had started so that it would meet in the middle.

As much as he didn't want to talk about his past, he owed Zayn as much. Niall was right. Zayn didn't deserve to be punished for what those pricks had done. No.

He took a sip of the tea, even though it was still a bit too hot before putting it down and cradling it in his hands as he composed his thoughts. Once that was done, he looked up into Zayn's worried face and plunged right in.

“Zayn...I think I owe you an apology for keeping too closely with the rule that I made in Dublin. About not telling you stuff. I hadn't seen it before, how much I left out about my past. Mainly because things moved too fast. But also because I'm utterly terrified of losing you when you hear it all.”

Zayn made a small noise at that and hastily put down his cup and reached out for Liam's hand, but Liam shook his head.

“Not yet. I...I'm going to chicken out if you touch me. Just hear me out. See...my dad was an Omega...He was grand. My mum adored him and it shook her to the core when he passed and left my mum with a broken bond and three Omega kits to look after. I didn't want to be a burden on mum, so I mated one of the local lads...And it was one of the worst decisions I ever made.”

Zayn's hands clenched, but Liam didn't see. He kept on talking, unwilling to stop lest he lose his courage.

“He wasn't...He meant well, when we started out. I know he did. But things went bad to worse. He couldn't get work. I couldn't get work. His family looked down on me and he was hot and cold. On and off all the time and I just couldn't deal with it. I tried, but in the end, when I lost our kit, I was done. I had to go. To say that he didn't take it well is an understatement. My mum and my sister's Alpha had to step in until he finally agreed to completely sever the bond.”

Zayn felt his stomach drop. “He...He let you walk around with a half-severed bond? How long?”

He felt sick and his stomach knotted. How could anyone do that to an Omega? To leave them in legal limbo like that without a care? Fuck sake's! As if Liam losing his kit and being smothered and isolated wasn't bad enough. To be at the whim of such a selfish Alpha...As much as it had hurt to not know...Now that he was getting the story, he understood why Liam didn't want to talk about it.

Yet, he knew that even though Liam was scarred from it, he had healed enough to be able to speak about it without his voice shaking.

Liam winced. “About seven years, give or take. But while that happened, I met Matthias. Keep in mind...It wasn't during my stellar years.”

Zayn raised an eyebrow, curiosity on his face at that. Liam grinned mirthlessly as he continued.

“I was partying a lot. I was smoking up, drinking, fucking, whatever took me through the self-loathing and horribly grey days. Matthias was different, or so I thought. In the end, he was just a fuckboy. Stringing me along, telling everyone what we did, inviting people into my house when I wasn't there. Stuff like that.”

He shrugged his shoulders. He used to be embarrassed about being used, but the sting had eased. At least he had learned what to look for and had been taught exactly how to deal with the next fuckboy that attempted to do the same thing. Even if he had tangled with them for a bit, they never lasted long and Liam had learned to be wary and how to pick his friends wisely after that.

“I didn't see how he isolated me. Or how much he wasn't manipulating me until he decided to take off, leave me high and dry and then come back after I had found out I was having another kit. I had lost my job by then, since I had stopped caring about anything that wasn't getting high or him. I told him to fuck off. He started to beat me up and if it wasn't for Louis getting me out...I still lost the kit. I felt bad after. That I didn't do more to save it.”

Zayn growled. “No! Liam, no. Don't blame yourself! That was all on him! It had nothing to do with you!”

Liam jolted and scrubbed his face with his hands before sighing heavily.

“I know. I mean, I know now. It took ages to get over the guilt over what he did and how I didn't stand up for myself. I got clean, talked to a counsellor, got a new job and started to fix myself. That was about six years ago. “

When Liam was done, Zayn didn't hesitate to grab Liam and hug him as hard as he dared without crushing him or the kits.

“I'm not them, Liam. I'm not going to do that to you, ever. I fucked up with other people. I was careless with their feelings and I may have led people on. But I have never hit any of my partners out of anger.”

His fists clenched as he recalled his urge to bask Matthias' head in. The first Alpha, that Mike, fuck him. He was an idiot for hurting Liam and letting him go. If Liam didn't hold a grudge, he wasn't going to pursue that pathetic barely Alpha. But Matthias...

“But I'm not them. I'm not going to hurt you like they hurt you. I'm never going to make you feel like you have to run. I love you. I trust you. I just...I just really don't know if you trust me to love you like you deserve.”

Liam laughed wetly and it was then that Zayn was made aware that the nape of his neck and his shirt were wet with Liam's tears.

“Zayn...You're here and I'm sorry for making you doubt that I trust you. I just was scared that all you would see were the broken parts of me and decide it's too much to fix and leave.”

Zayn shook his head. “No. I never saw or will see you as that. You're Liam James Payne. The Liam that walked past a hidden bookstore twice until he found it. Who recited a poem wrong, but made it even more beautiful than the original. Who dared to travel wherever he wanted alone and told the world to fuck off if they didn't like it. Who took what I was offering without question. Who works his hardest to teach kids that the world pretends doesn't exist and mourns them if they pass.”

He pulled away from Liam and cupped his face in between his hands and looked him dead in the eye.

“ _That_ is the Liam James Payne that I see. That is who I love here and now. The one I can offer the present to. I don't know about the future, but we'll figure that out if you trust me with it. So do you, Liam James Payne, trust me?”

Liam's eyes were wet and full on black as they scanned Zayn's face before he wet his lips and whispered his answer.

Zayn's face crumpled into a smile of pure joy before he kissed Liam with everything that was in him.

_Zayn and Liam- Just Like I Swallowed Half My Stash, And I Never, Ever, Want To Crash._

It pulsed with happiness and relief and an underlying thrum of something neither of them had felt since Dublin. Like a flipped switch, it felt to both of them as if electricity filled their veins. The bond thrummed with it and it was then that Zayn had to pull back and look at his bondmate.

Liam's eyes had bled completely black and there was a dark red flush in his cheekbones that told Zayn in no uncertain terms what was happening with him. Liam wanted him and wanted him badly. He was letting Zayn in, fully and completely, the bond fully open to Alpha.

He didn't give a fuck if they were in the living room. He needed his Alpha and he needed him _right fucking now._ Zayn got the message, from the way that his side of the bond was pulsing and tender. He didn't hesitate, pushed the coffee table away, and manhandled Liam to a kneeling position so that his belly was supported by the cushions while he knelt on the parquet floor. That was the last bit of logical thought he had left. He had to mate Liam. Wanted and needed to mate him to show him that his trust wasn't misplaced. He growled, low and feral as he hooked his fingers onto Liam's trackies and ripped them off along with Liam's flimsy briefs. His own trousers and pants followed and his cock jutted out, red and swollen with pre-come dribbling from the tip.

Zayn could see the glistening trails of wet slicking his thighs as he moved Liam's legs apart, spreading him to see that hidden entrance clenching and unclenching with need. He stroked Liam's thighs before stroking it and spreading the slick from the entrance to Liam's hole. He swirled it around, coating both places well before he knelt down and started to lick broad stripes, tonguing first one place, then the other until Liam was keening and bucking back to get more of Zayn's tongue onto those sensitive places.

“Oh my god! Oh god!” Liam babbled as he felt the wet tongue enter him.

“Just Zayn will do, Li.” Zayn deadpanned, making Liam turn his head and glare at him.

“Did you seriously just make a dad joke in the middle of eating me out?”

Instead of a verbal reply, Zayn bent down to his task, making Liam see white and stars as Zayn kept licking his hole while his fingers moved to his entrance. He didn't have time to think anymore as his vision kept getting blurry and white as Zayn touched and licked him to the first orgasm he'd had not by his own hands.

Zayn moaned, low and dirty as Liam came, the bond creating that feedback loop that he had only experienced in Ireland with Liam. It was addictive, that rush of endorphins and the whiting out of their vision as he felt the aftershocks of the orgasm and barely stopped himself from coming as well.

Liam didn't know if he made a noise, only that his body was limp and lax and that Zayn was now grabbing his hips with one hand while the other guided his cock inside him.

“Wanna see you come twice, Li. I wanna show you how much I love seeing you like this, kneeling just for me. Letting me give you pleasure and no one else doing it to you.”

Zayn whispered, his voice thick and low as he sheathed himself to the hilt before slowly pulling out almost completely before slamming into Liam. He was grabbing Liam's hips with both hands and bracing himself as he thrust in and out, his fingers biting into Liam's skin while his hips slammed into his ass. Over and over again, he moved, making Liam let out broken moans as his cock hit that wet, velvet warmth that tightened before he pulled out again, making it hard to not lose control prematurely.

Liam's moans became shouts and his hands curled tightly against the cushion as he threw his head back while Zayn sped up his thrusts until the chesterfield was moving back and forth and slamming against the wall. He winced at the sound, but he was too far gone to care. Liam was tightening around him and the friction was too damned good to ignore. His hips snapped faster and faster until at the last thrust, he buried himself deep and his back arched.

The scream was torn out of him as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed on top of Liam like a puppet with its strings cut off. Liam whimpered, but only moved to thread his fingers through Zayn's own. They both lay panting on the couch for a few moments more. The sensations were almost too intense and they both needed a bit of time before they could move, never mind think coherently. It wasn't long though, that Zayn regretfully disentangled himself from his Omega and pulled up his trousers. He then helped a blissed out Liam to his feet and nipped at his neck.

“Let's go take a bath, yeah?”

Liam nodded sleepily as he and Zayn slowly trekked upstairs to the bath. It wasn't the end of it, Liam thought as he watched Zayn fill the tub with lavender bubble bath. There was more that they needed to talk about, but at least that last big roadblock had been removed.

They would be good, he knew from the way that the bond hummed happily, maybe even more so than it had in Dublin.

Zayn caught his eye and grinned before kissing Liam.

Zayn knew that as well.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zayn and Liam- They're slowly working on getting their shit completely together at least until the kits come and they can focus on it more. I see them as being rational and seeking advice rather than coming to wrong conclusions and making each other's lives hell.  
> Ed and Taylor-I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of their music, but they somehow have become my two favourite secondary characters, then Niall and Louis. I swear I don't know how that happened. I find them hilarious and I can't help writing them.  
> Liam- He's not as fucked up as he thinks, but has low self-esteem due to all his experiences and is afraid he'll be a pity fuck or a pity bf for Zayn. Kind of how when someone goes through awful stuff and all that people quantify them as is the tragedy that walks around. So he needs to work through that by himself.  
> Zayn-He is working towards being the Alpha that he is supposed to be and part of that is realizing he was an ass and seeing how other Alphas left marks on Liam has really brought that home to him. He's not perfect, but he's trying.


	10. There's Hope That You And I Will Bloom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn finally tells his family why exactly he went AWOL for the past while and bonds with Liam even further in both the physical and emotional sense. They go on a date where Liam unexpectedly comes face to face with his past and unfortunate results.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're close to the homestrech now! I had a bit of a block with this one (plus no actual time this week) but it literally just came together now. There is a bit of violence in this chapter, but nothing crazy. Oh and sex. Yep. 
> 
> Proofed and if mistakes pop up, they will be fixed later. Title is still from Placebo's "I Do"

Zayn ran his hands through his hair and blew out a breath. He was jittery and he wished for a cigarette badly, but one glance at Liam was enough to curb the impulse. He smiled at his mate, who was distracted by the bank statement he was holding in one hand while the other stroked down his very large bump.

Zayn only watched him with fondness, taking in the differences that pregnancy had brought upon Liam. His hair had gotten softer and thicker and long enough to pull back. Zayn loved playing with it when they lay in bed together. Liam pretended he didn't care for it, but his purr always gave it away. His face was rounder and reminiscent of his graduation picture downstairs and his skin was an ivory that Zayn swore glowed.

Liam had been fit before getting pregnant and he still had that musculature that he somewhat kept up with daily walks with Zayn. Walks that gave them time alone that they used to either talk about everything and nothing or just enjoy each other's company. They weren't long though, since Liam was starting to tire much more easily now.

His walk was now definitely a waddle due to his hips widening and the weight he was carrying. It hurt his back and Zayn was only too happy to rub it for him, since it gave them time to just talk about everything and anything that crossed their minds. He had finally learned the story of his kidney and what had happened in Shanghai on New Years. In turn, Liam had learned about the two jobs he had worked to put himself through art school and how he had learned a bit of construction when the years were lean and his art hadn't hit it mainstream.

It gave them time to learn about each other and for Zayn to be able to pamper Liam in ways that he couldn't when Liam had gotten sick. Something that although Liam didn't hold against him, Zayn couldn't help but to feel guilty. Especially when he saw some of the pictures of Liam during the time leading up to him arriving in Canada. No one blamed him, but he couldn't ease the guilt over how sick Liam became.

Even though Liam was healthy now and had been ever since Zayn had showed up and Liam's mum had actually tearfully thanked him for taking care of her youngest kit...He still felt a bit of it. He had been embarrassed, but now that he had more of an insight in Liam's past, he simply accepted it and forced himself to move past that self-serving guilt. It wasn't doing anything for them and the talk with Liam's mum helped a whole lot. It was also during that conversation with Liam's mother (And getting to see the family albums that she had dug out) that it hit him: His own family was unaware of the upcoming whelping and of Liam.

That was why he was sitting here, nervously plucking at the edge of the tablecloth,waiting for Skype to connect so that he could introduce Liam to his family and explain why he was AWOL for so long. He was so intent on plucking the cloth that he missed Liam putting his hand over his and getting his attention. Zayn looked up and smiled when he looked at Liam's gentle face. It was becoming a reflex and he knew he was becoming a bit of a sap, but he couldn't help it. Liam brought it out in him. Other than his family, Ed and a few select people, no one had been able to truly bring it out in him. Not like Liam.

“Relax, yeah? It's going to be fine. You met my family, Louis and Niall and no one died.”

Liam pointed out, making Zayn laugh. It had been touch and go with Louis and Niall until Liam had left the hospital and Zayn and Louis had struck up an unlikely friendship. It had been a bit awkward, but it had been loads better than Zayn had expected. In a way, it had been a good thing that things had been easy with the rest of Liam's circle, since it had given both of them unexpected support and help when things had been so strained between them.

“Yeah, well...It might be a bit-”

“Zayn? Honey? Where on earth have you been?”

Zayn looked back at the screen and scratched the back of his neck when he saw his mum and his oldest sister looking back at him and Liam with wide eyes.

“Uh...Hi mum. Doni. Uhm...This is Liam. He's mainly the reason why I left. See, he's my mate and you're going to be granny and Doni's going to be an aunt in a month.”

Zayn got it out in a rush while Liam ducked a bit into Zayn's shoulder and waved shyly at Mrs. Malik and Doni. Both of whom practically melted when they saw him, making Zayn's nervousness dissipate. Half of the war was won and he knew that the rest of the battles would be a bit easier to get through after.

Battles that he and Liam had only broached the topic of, but would have to discuss further when the kits arrived, since many decisions, such as living arrangements and religious upbringing hinged on after. It was too much of a guessing game, so they had agreed to not decide on anything concrete until December at the latest.

“Oh! You're the boy in Zayn's paintings!”

“Paintings? You painted me?” Liam asked, his eyes wide with delight and surprise at the news, two things that made Zayn less embarrassed than he otherwise would have been.

“Mum!”

“Oh Zayn, you don't have to be embarrassed, love! It's sweet! Most people don't meet a mate that way! And kits! You have been busy.”

Liam blushed at that. “Well...It wasn't...It wasn't quite planned, mum. But I'm glad it happened. We wouldn't have gotten together and to get to know each other.”

Zayn added, making his older sister smirk at him. “So when were you planning to tell us about your pride, Zayn? Sometime next year, perhaps?”

Zayn wanted to scowl and snap back at his sister, but his mother's hurt face stopped him. While he was working on a response, Liam cleared his throat when he felt Zayn bristle up at the snide accusation. And jumped in at the right time.

“That is partly on me. I got really sick right before my second trimester. The bond was frayed and he had to get out here fast. Things were a bit rough after.”

He then gestured to his bump, smoothing down the fabric of his shirt to show it and that was when Zayn got it.

It was a underhanded tactic and Zayn was yet again impressed with how much of a tactician Liam could be when he put his mind to it. By cutting in with the truth, it made him look less like an irresponsible dick blowing off his family to a devoted Alpha whose only concern was his pride. He was that, but his family, as much as they loved him, hadn't ever seen that side of him.

And by the softening of both his mother and Doni proved that they saw it and that he was more or less off the hook. His mum and sister were betas, but even they weren't immune to the charm of a pregnant Omega. Especially since said pregnant Omega was mated to him. He knew that they worried about him having those unstable relationships and the games he had played in them. He had been all too aware that they and his father wanted him to be happy with someone. Someone that complimented, rather than complicated him.

When he looked at Liam and again, couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face, he knew they understood.

He turned back to the screen and saw Doni's mouth pursed and her eyes focused on him. But not in a bad way, but rather as if she was adding up everything she saw and finding it plausible. His mother's face was sweet as she looked at Liam.

“Well, that's understandable. These things take time to get sorted out. I take it you are doing better now? When are your kits due?”

“I am, thank you. Having Zayn here has been fantastic in every way. I'm due in the middle of November.”

“Wonderful! That's great! Will they be ready to travel when you and Zayn come to visit?”

“Yes. Of course! It wouldn't be fair for you not see your first grandkits. It's also been awhile since I was in Britain.”

Zayn again cast an admiring glance at Liam. Despite it being his family, he was the one handling the volley of questions like a natural. But he was a teacher, Zayn reminded himself, he would have to handle parents like that all the time. It made him respect teachers a bit more, since he knew that he would have already brushed off his mother and ended the call when things got more serious.

“Have you decided on names then? Or religion, since you do know that Zayn is a practising Muslim.”

Liam only blinked at that. He was aware that Zayn was practicing, since he had tried to not intrude whenever Zayn excused himself to tend to his religious duties. His family was pretty laid back about religion, so he hadn’t really thought about that part of their relationship until Zayn’s mother brought it up. He could also see, even as innocent as the question was, that Zayn’s mother expected that his kits would also be raised in his faith.

It didn’t bother him in the least that she wanted that, but it was the presumption that it would happen that took him aback. It hadn’t come up and it wasn’t something he had really thought about to ask Zayn how he felt. He made a mental note to do so and to also give a tactful response that would give them leeway to do so later and not appear as if they were woefully unprepared to deal with.

“Not yet on both counts. It's something we have decided to wait on when they are born. Just like where we will live. I want to stay in my hometown for a bit. After that, Zayn is the one that has the last word.”

His mother looked at him then and Zayn found himself nodding. Liam had it right with the diplomatic answer, since it wasn't a straight out decision and it could be amended at any time.

“Just let us know what you decide with plenty of time, then. It was hard not really getting any news of you for the past three months.”

Zayn swallowed hard. “I know. I'm sorry. It's not going to happen again.”

Doni smiled and his mother followed suit. “We get it, but we are your family. And we want to know if you're good and happy. I'm glad to see that Liam is your mate. You both will have gorgeous kits and I can't wait to hold them!”

Zayn blushed, but Liam laughed.

~*~*~*~*~

Zayn moved quietly when he entered their shared room, two mugs of tea in his hand as he did. He smiled stupidly as he took in the sight of his Omega lying in their nest, while idly reading a book, his voice soft as he read the story to his kits. Liam’s downcast eyes made his lashes fan out onto his cheekbone like delicate black lace across his ivory skin. His lips were pink and his shirt was half unbuttoned, leaving a tantalizing strip of skin from his collar bone down to his chest bare, making Zayn's admiration turn into something more physical, rather than aesthetic.

He put the mugs down on the side table and knelt down on the foot of the nest. Liam's soft brandy brown eyes flickered up briefly before they turned back to his book. Zayn grinned to himself, amused, rather than annoyed at Liam's supposed aloofness. It was a turn on more than he had ever thought it would be, that resistance. He liked that he had to work for it with Li. Liked that he got to show Liam exactly how much it meant for him to be chosen as the one that held not just his heart, but his trust. How much it meant that he would give himself up to Zayn without any regrets and with an innocent trust in his soft warm eyes as Zayn climbed over him and showed him just that.

Zayn, for his part, loved this side of Liam. Loved that the hormones were making him more receptive and less restrained to Zayn's physical affection. Liam was almost as horny as he had been during his heat and now that so many matters had been resolved, he was quite eager to have Zayn make love to him as often as they possibly could manage it.

Knowing all of this, he slowly crawled up the bed, between Liam's legs until his head was level with Liam's chest. Liam's reading didn't stop, pausing only for Liam to catch a stuttering breath when his shirt was slowly unbuttoned and delicately pushed aside so that his swollen chest was bare. Liam kept on stubbornly reading until Zayn started to hum to himself before one hand cupped the swollen pec, touching it gently and reverently. Liam bit back a moan, determined to continue until he felt the wet heat of Zayn's mouth on his other pec.

He dropped all pretence when Zayn's tongue swirled around his tender nipple and his lips pressed down, making him throw his head back and drop the book. He laid back against the numerous pillows that had been propping him up and closed his eyes as Zayn followed his movements, careful to not put weight on his belly and suck on his nipple, making Liam gasp and groan at the pain-laced pleasure that the action was bringing him.

Zayn hummed as he sucked on the nipple in his mouth and gently rolled the other one between his fingers, making Liam arch his back and present his chest for more. Zayn complied and in mere moments, he had Liam writhing and mewling for release. He was so wet that he could feel it dripping down his thighs and soak his boxer briefs and trackies.

He felt Zayn's hand go from his chest down to between his legs, slipping past the elastic of his trackies and boxers and cup his stiff cock, giving a couple of strokes before caressing his balls. Liam cried out harshly as Zayn's nimble fingers cupped his cock and then slipped behind to slide deep into his entrance. Liam nearly shouted as he pressed himself against the pillows, drawing Zayn in deeper.

“So ready for me...So wet. Love it when you're soaked like this, waiting for me to slip into you.”

Zayn's mouth was at his ear then, his chest throbbing at the loss of pressure. He couldn't make a coherent reply at that. Zayn only laughed, pulling out before sitting on his heels.

“Lie on your side.” He murmured, helping Liam do just that, careful to make sure that his Omega was comfortable before peeling off the soaked trackies and briefs. Zayn followed suit, pressing himself against Liam's bottom.

Liam raised his leg as much as he was able, holding it as Zayn pressed two fingers into his entrance, coaxing him open as he lined up his cock and thrust in, slowly pulling out his fingers and making Liam's head jerk back. He grabbed Liam's hip tightly, his fingers biting flesh as he sheathed himself fully.

“How was that?” Zayn asked, kissing Liam, then trailing his mouth down in a wet trail to bite at Liam's shoulder as he pulled out and thrust in hard again, releasing a broken cry from Liam's throat. A cry that became a long, keening cry with each thrust that Zayn made, hips undulating and slapping against Liam, who moved against Zayn to take each thrust as much as he was able.

The sound of their hips meeting, the skin slick with sweat and Liam's wetness made an obscene sound that, accompanied with Liam's loud cries went straight to his cock. His thrust sped up, becoming more and erratic as he felt his orgasm building up deep in his belly. Liam was shouting now, his body stiffening as he came, come all over his belly and a gush of wetness soaking Zayn's thighs and groin as he did. He moaned weakly as he emptied himself completely, making Zayn go haywire as he moved.

His fingers had bitten deep crescents into Liam's hips and he growled deep in his throat, biting blindly and hard as it made him bury himself deep and his back arch. He blanked out for a moment and his hearing was gone as the blood ran out of his ears. He came and came hard enough that for a few seconds he thought he had gone blind and deaf.

He came to quickly, licking at the deep bite that he had given Liam as he had come. He licked the wound until it stopped bleeding, kissed Liam and wrapped his arm around him. The apple pie scent was strong and made Zayn shudder. He had missed this, the feeling of his Omega curled up against him and the sweetness of their blended scents in the air as well.

Liam started purring and Zayn held him tighter. God, how had he lived without this?

He kissed the nape of Liam's neck, making his Omega shudder and purr even louder.

He definitely could get used to having this regularly, he thought drowsily.

“Fuck...You're amazing, Zee.”

Yeah, he smiled. He definitely could.

~*~*~*~*~

“Here you go, Li.” Zayn muttered as he helped his mate sit up from the table he had been lying on, handing him a wad of tissues to wipe off the gel from the ultrasound he had just had. Liam looked at him gratefully and murmured his thanks as he got himself clean. The doctor waited until Liam was put together again before sharing his findings.

“As you both saw, your kits are healthy and active and no problems have been detected. Even though it's a late age pregnancy and you weren't here at the start, it's looking good. All the tests we have done have come back good. You're sure to have your kits in three week's time without any foreseeable complications.”

The doctor told them as he updated the charts. “If you have any questions, do let me know.”

“I've been having aches in my back for the past while, is that normal?”

Liam asked as he got his clothes in order and carefully got off the table with Zayn's aid.

“Yes. They're mostly Braxton-Hicks to get your body ready to have the kits, but since they are twins, an early birth isn't unheard of. Is the pain just in your back?”

Liam thought back to the last couple of days that had prompted the doctor's visit and nodded.

“That's fine for now. If it's all around your pelvis, it means that you're in labour and you need to get to the hospital right away, got it?”

Liam and Zayn nodded and the doctor finished up his notes.

“Well, if you have anymore questions, don't hesitate to call.”

Liam thanked the doctor and they left, going to a nearby coffee shop to sit and talk, since it wasn't that often that they went out anymore. Zayn had started to work on some commissions that he had received earlier on. Although he was a bit reluctant to start working, it was Liam's enthusiasm at discovering that Zayn had done the illustrations to his favourite series that made him focus on the work. Liam, for his part, either read or knitted small blankets and hats for the kits.

It was only broken up by visits from Niall and his pride and then lately, Louis and Harry and their kitten, a little girl with Harry's green eyes and Louis' smile that they had named Poppy Leigh. She was small, but perfectly healthy and Louis and Harry couldn’t help but to show off their first kit. It was a good break for Harry, since he had been on bed rest for so long that he couldn’t bear to be at home for such a long period of time and visits got him out and helped cure the cabin sickness he had experienced, which was quite at odds to the fiercely territorial nesting instincts of winter whelpings. He didn’t mind though, helping Liam with his nesting and talking to him about what to expect. 

It was a comfortable interlude and although Liam was getting uncomfortable and impatient, he was relishing the quiet moments that he had with his friends and Zayn. They weren’t the holiday acquaintances brought together by circumstances any longer and Liam knew that whatever happened, it would work out between them. Zayn had his heart and his trust and he knew that he was the same with Zayn.

After so many long nights spent making love and talking after, they understood where they stood. It was slow progress for him, after the whirlwind of Ireland and the circumstances that brought them together in Edmonton. But he had to admit that it was better than the crazy breakneck speed of his matings with Mike and Matthias. He was getting to know Zayn before things were cemented in place and he knew it was for the better that he had that chance.

It was due to this time that he had a fair idea of who Zayn was: Shy, artistic, somewhat awkward and sarcastic at times. But fiercely protective, loyal, patient and kind when it was least expected. He did have his faults, Liam wasn’t blind to the arrogance and carelessness that could go unchecked. The secretiveness and moodiness he tended to engage in at times.

Yet he had never shouted at Liam. Nor had he ever caged him physically or emotionally and had always forced himself to come back and discuss the issue like a rational adult. Liam could accept that when Zayn left the room, it was to give them both space so that they didn't end up screaming at each other and becoming resentful. It wasn't that he was fed up or didn't take Liam seriously and it had been a bit of a shock for Liam to have a partner do that. It was all of this that made Liam's last reservation, so carefully hidden that even he wasn't aware of it, break. Zayn had him, body, heart and soul and Liam wouldn't have it any other way.

“Is anyone coming over today?” Zayn asked, taking Liam back to the present.

Liam shook his head. “Louis and Harry are going to visit Harry's family in Calgary. Niall and Kerys are at home and my sisters are in Vancouver. So no. Why?”

Zayn nodded as he stirred his tea and shrugged. “I was thinking of maybe catching a movie. It's been awhile since I took you out on a proper date. The Thor movie is playing in an hour downtown. You up for it?”

Liam's eyes lit up and Zayn laughed. “I guess it's a date then.”

“Thank you.”

Liam replied, leaning over to kiss Zayn, wincing slightly at the pain in his lower back as he did so. He pushed the discomfort away though. He wanted to go out and walk hand in hand with his Alpha and be out in the cold, crisp winter air. Despite the strong call he felt to be home and at his nest, he had always loved the winter in his hometown and wanted a chance to experience it before he was tied to his kits and his nest.

He also wanted to have an actual date with Zayn and a movie was something he had learned to look at as a rare treat after living either half-way across the world or in backwoods with very little options for entertainment. His back hurt, but he wasn't going to mention it, since it was probably like his doctor had said: false contractions so that his body knew what to do.

“Alright. Let's finish up here and we can go.” Zayn told Liam, picking up his tea to finish it off

~*~*~*~*~

“So what did you think about this one?” Zayn asked as they waited for the theatre to clear out. They had already seen the extra scene, but Zayn was worried that someone might bump or jostle Liam, so they waited until Zayn decided that it was safe and helped Liam up. 

Liam hesitated, wincing as the pain in his back got worse. He had shifted about and walked a bit during the movie as to not seize up, but the pain was relentless. He was going to need a bath tonight. 

“Better than the second one. I'm glad that they stuck with the Kieran Gillen arc this time.” Liam replied as they made their way out of the darkness and into the lobby. He would have liked to go home right away, but his bladder demanded attention at that exact moment. 

“I need the loo. Wait for me?”

Zayn frowned, casting a glance at the group of rowdy Alphas and Betas that were exciting the latest Fast and the Furious and shook his head. 

“I'll come with.”

They went into the bright and well maintained loo (something that Zayn was still trying to wrap his head around. The loos were free and pretty well clean. Only once did he come across one place that was almost as bad as a pub loo in Camden on a Friday night) and Zayn went over to the sinks to wash his hands from the sticky sweets that he had shared with Liam. 

He had just finished when Liam himself appeared from the stalls and went to the sink to wash. As he was doing that, the crowd outside came in. Liam looked up in the mirror to scope the situation and froze just a bit when he noticed one particular Alpha. He lowered his gaze and quickly washed up.

He moved towards the paper towels as inconspicuously as possible, making Zayn's hackles rise. Liam hadn't ever acted that way and Zayn knew that it was from one of those Alphas. Zayn didn't bother drying his hands. He had to get Liam out of there. 

He had just reached for Liam when one of the Alphas, tall and well-built, with a long mane of brown hair and arrogance written about him paused and scented the air. He turned around and looked at Liam, his face a mask of rage when he saw Liam and Zayn. 

The group all went quiet and Liam curled up against Zayn, who pushed him behind himself so that he'd be shielded. The other Alpha, ( _Matthias_ , his mind supplied. It had to be) reached for Liam and grabbed his arm, making Liam cry out in pain. 

“Finally found you, you little bitch! You're coming home!”

The pain in Liam's voice and the sound of Matthias trying to re-claim Liam gave him a rage and a strength that he didn't know he was capable of. Even as an Alpha, he hadn't had many opportunities to use it.

Zayn lashed out fast and hard, punching Matthias in the face and making him let go of Liam, who stumbled back and fell out of the bathroom. Zayn's instincts howled to go to his Omega, but he also knew that he had to finish Matthias off fast before he did. Turning his back on another raging Alpha was a sure way to get himself killed. 

Without thinking much about it, he rushed Matthias, smashing him against the mirrors and the sink, cracking his head against the mirror. It cracked into a spiderweb pattern before the blood spread out, filling the cracks. The fight had gone out of Matthias then, his body collapsing when Zayn let go of it. 

He didn't stick around and rushed out to see to Liam, who was still sitting on the carpet and surrounded by theatre workers and an older Omega. His face was dead white and wet with tears and sweat. His legs were spread and Zayn swore when he saw the wetness on his trousers.

The kits were coming.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zayn's family-I really, really, don't like writing about famous people's families, hence the reason why I don't use names or give details other than the basics. So there will be complete vagueness because of that.   
> Religion-I know Zayn is a practising Muslim (Like Mesut Ozil) and that would be something that would be brought up and important regarding the kits. I am going to go with Liam being either Cof E or non-practicing in this 'verse, so he'd be less inclined to fight over the question of religion. I will do my best to not be disrespectful, so if I make any mistakes in regards to this, I do apologize and will fix it right away.   
> Louis and Harry's kit-I can't imagine them giving their kit a trendy, cutesy name, so I went for a classic flower name. Leigh because I was reading Lord Byron's poetry and his sister was called Augusta Leigh. So yeah.  
> Matthias-He kind of randomly came back and is really that much of a dick. Since it was a dominance fight that had an Omega getting hurt, it will change things once the cops get involved.   
> Sorry for the crazy long notes. This chapter somehow ended up with many.


	11. It's Time To Begin, This Is It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kits are making their debut, but Liam and Zayn have to deal with the aftermath of what happened in the theatre as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has basically been a garbage week for me in a whole lot of ways. I have been swamped with work demands and personal stuff, so I didn't get to write for a long time. So penultimate chapter here and I promise that most questions will be addressed and or resolved by the end. If I need to add an extra chapter, it will be done. 
> 
> Title is from Imagine Dragons and again, proofed and it issues appear, they will be fixed. 
> 
> Names-I have two in mind already, but if hey, suggestions area always welcome!

The ride to George Sixth felt it was taking forever to Liam. His pelvis felt like it was being squeezed in a vice and he could smell the copper new scent of blood despite the bandages and towels that they had packed between his legs. He felt like something had torn and given way deep in him. His belly looked like it had changed shape and he was feeling a pressure low in his pelvis. They were coming and they were coming fast.

He whimpered when it hit him and Zayn responded, squeezing his hand and pushing back his sweat-soaked hair away from his greasy forehead. He had been sweating buckets ever since he had been pushed out of the lavatory and fallen. He didn't know if it was the shock of seeing Matthias or feeling him try to rupture his and Zayn's bond that had sent him into labour, but whatever it was, it had done its job.

And Liam was scared out of his wits. Even though the medics had been nothing short of fantastic, getting him and Zayn out of the theatre fast, it didn't do anything to ease the fear that something would happen to the kits. He wasn't worried about himself. He knew exactly how tough he was. He had to have been, what with the kidney problems, the struggles of life afterwards...He could take anything that was thrown at him. No. It was the lives of the kits he carried that he was worried about. The medics hadn't said much or acted like there had been anything wrong, but still. There was too much blood and too much pain.

Zayn leaned over and carefully pressed a kiss to his cheekbone, the ambulance jostling as it went over a pothole. He nuzzled against Liam and scented him, covering up the acrid stench of fear and blood with their blended apple pie scent. He mewled in his throat and relaxed a fraction, the scent and the warmth of their bruised, but still intact bond flowing through him. The scent of blood dissipated and the medics made a comment about blood pressure lowering. Liam mewled again and Zayn bit down gently on the marking bite, making Liam moan and his eyes flutter closed.

“That's good, man. Keep him calm. The calmer he is, the easier it's going to be.” One of the medics, an Alpha with brassy blonde hair, a snub nose, bright glass green eyes and a mouth used to smiling told him. It was the earnestness of her expression and the way that she was so gentle with Liam that made the thick knot of worry in Zayn's chest loosen. He hadn't known what the fuck he had been doing, only that he _needed_ to do it. He could feel Liam's blind fear and the pain thudding through the bond and he only wanted to ease it or make it stop completely. He hadn't known that was what he should have been doing.

“No one usually does, in these kinds of situations. Most Alphas get a primer before they accompany their Omegas into the delivery room. No shame in not knowing.”

Zayn looked at the medic and blinked, belatedly realizing that he had said all of that outloud.

She grinned, her green eyes triangles in her heart-shaped face before she checked on Liam again, who was in a light doze and noted the IV level and his blood pressure. Zayn felt his face get red and hot and he opened his mouth to say something, but she waved it away.

“It's cool. If I were in your situation, I'd be freaking out as well, wondering if I was doing the right thing or not. Your mate's a fighter and we got there fast. Even with this-” she rolled up the sleeve to reveal the angry, blackish-red bruises that Matthias had made, “I have no doubt they will all pull through. The kits aren't in distress and even though the labour's fast, it's under control.”

Zayn's eyes were focused on the bruise, taking in the ugly colouring of it. He had only seen bruises like that when Ed had broken his leg. It had taken a long time for him to get back on his feet and Zayn thought he'd never see trauma like that again. Yet here he was, seeing it on Liam's arm.

“It'll heal. It looks bad now, but it will heal with no problems. Whoever it was that tried to break your bond was stopped in time. “

Zayn swallowed and gently pulled Liam's sleeve down to cover it and swallowed hard. It had been luck that he had noticed Matthias and his group. Just sheer, dumb luck that he had followed Liam into the lavatory. Yet it had been that twist of fate that had made all the difference.

As those thoughts went through his mind, the ambulance slowed down, then suddenly lurched to a stop, making him look up at the medic, who signalled to her partner to get the doors open.

“We're here.”

~*~*~*~*~

Zayn was holding onto Liam's hand, wincing whenever Liam squeezed it hard as another contraction hit. He knew that there were loads of jokes about this, but he understood why that was the case. Liam was strong and he was in agony. Despite the fast labour and the bloody show, he was still a few centimetres short of being fully dilated.

“Try and get him to walk around a bit. That usually helps.”  The ward nurse suggested when she had announced that Liam was at seven centimetres and it wouldn't be long now. Liam had shot her a murderous look as she had left and Zayn made a mental note to _never_ piss his mate off. It had been the memory of that look that had him waiting for a few moments before he repeated the nurse's suggestion in a soothing voice.

“Yeah, why not? Better than not doing anything.” Liam had acquiesced gracefully. Zayn had been careful to not aggravate the bruise on Liam's arms and they were slowly making a slow circuit around the room. Whenever they passed the open door, Zayn would look up to see if Louis, or Niall or Liam's family had shown up. He had called all of them as soon as Liam had been admitted and he had been asked to stay at the front and fill out the forms while they got Liam into a delivery room.

He had to admit now that Louis had been right in drilling Zayn mercilessly to pull up his and Liam's information at a moment's notice. He had been shaky from the confrontation with Matthias and the aftermath of all of that and the adrenaline was wearing off. There was no way that he could have been able to do it without procedure being ingrained in him. As it was, his handwriting was shaky and one of the nurses actually got him a cup of tea when he all but collapsed on one of the chairs. It had been hot and sweet and just what he needed to be able to go into the room and be there for Liam, who was still in a whole lot of pain and scared with it.

That had been nearly half an hour or so, Zayn guesstimated as they walked around again, with Liam leaning even quite heavily against him, something that he had started to do the last couple of turns. His breathing got heavier and it was then that Zayn led him back to bed and got him settled on it.

“How is it?” He asked carefully. He didn't want to upset Liam anymore than he had to and he regretted that he hadn't been fast enough to have avoided the entire situation with Matthias, If he had been faster, Liam wouldn't be in pain and whelping their kits in such a stressful situation. He only hoped that all three of them would be well once the whelping was over. And he promised himself that if Liam and his kits were ever in danger again, he was going to be faster. He wouldn't ever let that happen again. He swore on his kit's lives.

Liam gasped and bit down on his lip, bearing down on the pain before he let out a low groan and sat up, his face red as he bore down.

He gasped and looked at Zayn with wide eyes. “Call the nurse! Call the nurse!”

Zayn did as he was told, pressing the button and getting the nurse into the room.

“I think it's time.” Liam panted out and the nurse nodded, pulling on latex gloves before lifting Liam's gown up to check.

“You're ready, dear. I'm just going to get the bed set up and the doctor and then you'll have your kits in your arms. It will be allright. You'll see.”

She gave him a sweet smile that made the fear ebb slowly from his face and Zayn's heart overflow with gratitude and for once, believe that it was all going to work out.

~*~*~*~*

Zayn winced yet again when Liam shouted, his face red and sweat pouring down his face as he bore down as per the midwife’s instructions. His earlier optimism had gone when Liam was near collapsing and no sign of the kit was coming. He had been pale and tears had leaked out of his eyes when he had collapsed against Zayn, who scented him and kissed his temple as he fought his way through labour. 

“I’m tired, Zee. I’m so fucking tired.” Liam murmured as he fell heavily against Zayn, who soothed him through the last round of pushing. Despite the creepingly slow process, the doctors assured them that the kit was definitely on their way. Just one more push should do it. Zayn hoped so, since Liam looked to be on the edge of exhausting his reserves.

“I know, Li. I know. You’re nearly done. It will be over soon and we’ll have our kits.”

Zayn comforted him, mouthing over his mark and relaxing Liam even further so that when he was told to push, it wasn’t as hard as starting from square one. It was a rhythm that they had settled on and sure enough, it was given not even a few minutes after Liam’s heart rate had settled a bit.

He made a face when the pain came back, but he still pushed when he was told, straining as much as he had ever done in his life. Zayn held onto him until Liam pushed him away and it was then that both realized that this was it. The kits were finally making their entrance.

“I’m never doing this again! Ever!” Liam cried out emphatically the minute that the cries of his first kit filled the room.

“You have a boy!” The doctor shouted out as the nurses whisked their squalling kit away to get cleaned.

“We have a son, Li.” Zayn whispered, his voice low in awe as he watched the nurses quickly wipe down the still crying kit down, measure him and wrap him up in a towel for Liam to hold. Before he could be handed over, Liam gasped and sat up.

“You’re going to have another one now, it looks like! Liam, push!”

Liam did as he was told, pushing and pushing until his face was nearly purple when the second set of cries filled the room now that their first son had quieted down and was being handed to Liam, who had all but collapsed in tears of joy and relief against Zayn.

“Twin boys! Here you go! They’re eager to meet their dam!” The nurse announced as she handed the now quiet kits over to Liam. He was exhausted, but Zayn propped him up and put his arms around Liam’s so that the kits were encircled in both of their arms. It was then that Liam started to purr and purr loudly, making Zayn nuzzle into his shoulder. His pride was finally complete.

“Were we ever this small?” Liam whispered softly as he looked down at the red and somewhat squished faces of his and Zayn’s kits. They both had dark fuzz on their heads and their eyes were some kind of slatey grey that were half-closed as they relaxed in the arms of their dam and sire. Although small, they were solid and the fact that they were being left with Zayn and Liam was a good sign.

“Probably. Still, they’re just perfect. Better than I ever dreamed of.”

Zayn whispered, kissing Liam’s bare shoulder where his hospital gown had slipped a bit.

Liam’s purr got louder and they watched as the oldest started to sniff at Liam’s chest, his little brother following suit.

“Hungry already, lads?”

Liam murmured as he shifted, trying to reach the gown, but stilling when Zayn helped him pull it down enough so that he was able to nurse. He had just gotten one of them latched on when a soft knock on the door made them look up.

“Is Liam decent?” Niall asked, his voice in an approximation of a quiet shout that Liam and Zayn knew was Niall's version of a whisper.

Liam snorted, trying to not laugh too loudly while he was trying to get the second kit latched on.

“God Niall! Yeah, come in!” Zayn replied, since Liam had finally gotten the baby to latch on and both were nursing well.

The door opened and Niall, Louis, and Liam's family all entered the room quietly as to not disturb the scene in front of them. Liam only looked up at them briefly, his face tired and triumphant as he did so before looking down again at his children.

“Oh my God! They're almost as cute as my own kits! I knew you two would make gorgeous kits!”

Niall cooed as he scooted closer to the newly made pride. Louis stayed at a good distance away, knowing all too well that Zayn was still primed to do everything in his power to keep Liam and his kits safe from harm and would attack if another Alpha came anywhere near his pride. He had been the same and had nearly taken off Kerys and Zayn's heads off when they had come to see Harry and his kit in the hospital. It was instinctual and he had apologized, but it still had happened and he didn't want a repeat of the situation where Alpha instincts ran amok.

“They are, aren't they? My grandkits!” Liam's mum murmured tearfully as she reached out and stroked the cheek of the kit on the left, who paused in his nursing to blink sleepily at his granddam.

Liam's oldest sister moved closer and was about to ask something when there was a knock on the door, directing everyone's attention to the door, where two Beta Police Officers stood.

“Are Liam Payne and Zayn Malik here?”

Everyone in the room tensed up and Zayn slowly stood up, but didn't move away from Liam, who had tensed up and was looking up at the Police Officers with a worried look on his face.

“I'm Zayn Malik and my mate Liam Payne. What can we help you with, officers?”

The two officers took in the scene and winced when they saw what had just happened. Louis was eyeing them warily while Niall, Liam's sisters and his mother all moved into a protective huddle around Liam and Zayn and the kits.

“We really hate to interrupt at such a time, but we need to talk to Mr. Malik and Mr. Payne. It's about the altercation that took place earlier today. Could you spare a few minutes?”


	12. And You Give, And You Give, All That I Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam clears up the incident with the police, Zayn and Liam choose names, and after some domestic bliss, futures get decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been worked on for almost two weeks. I was basically dealing with a busy work and personal schedule. It's done now, story has been told and I want to thank all that read and commented on my first foray into this fandom.
> 
> Chapter has been proofed and edited, but if mistakes appear, they will be fixed later on. 
> 
> Title is from Matthew Barber's "And You Give"

Zayn looked down at Liam after the officer had spoken. It was up to Liam to make the call. Liam was the one that had just given birth and was nursing. Zayn could handle it, but Liam was still in a delicate state and Zayn wanted for his mate to have his say rather than just making the choice for both of them.

Before Liam could answer, his mother cleared her throat and excused herself and her daughters. Niall and Louis did the same and they exit the room, leaving the officers standing in the doorway. It made the situation even more awkward than it already was, but they had no choice in the matter. Protocol was protocol and if they broke it and Zayn attacked, they would be in the wrong. Alphas with a new litter were to be handled carefully.

“Is it about Matthias Burkenwald?” Liam asked the officers once the others had departed. He winced when one of the kits pulled a little too hard while nursing. They were hungry and Liam hoped that the interview would be over shortly so that he didn’t have to interrupt their feeding. He also hoped that Matthias hadn't spewed some bullshit and tried to get Zayn arrested. The thought of not having Zayn there for three and half months or worse, ever again, made Liam's stomach churn painfully.

He was also aware that despite being an Alpha and a British national, Zayn was still a brown man and Liam wasn’t naïve enough to not think that wasn’t going to go against him. Especially if he knew Matthias as well as he did back in the day. That Alpha had been charming, ruthless and a liar and wouldn’t hesitate to manipulate the events to hurt Liam in any way that he possibly could.

And that was the last thing that he was ever going to allow. So he decided to take the initiative and take first shot.

“Yes, it is. Matthias Burkenwald was brought into this hospital with serious injuries, claiming that he was attacked by Mr. Malik while trying to reclaim his Omega, which he indicated was you, Mr Payne.”

Zayn wanted to snort, but didn't dare. He knew that it would just look like he was being contemptuous of the law and the last thing he needed was to get charged and kicked out of the country. Especially since things had happened as Matthias said, except that it was  _Matthias_ that had attacked first and Zayn was only trying to stop his Omega and kits from being mistreated. 

Liam sighed heavily and looked at Zayn. “Could you take the gown off, love? I don't want to disturb them anymore than I have to.”

Zayn nodded and moved to unsnap the gown and pulled it away from Liam's arm, showing the still ugly black and red bruise that Matthias had left on Liam's arm.

“Matthias did that to me, when he attacked _me._ Even though it was obvious that I was pregnant at the time and with another Alpha's mark and scent on me, he still attacked me.”

Liam explained as he lifted his arm so that the officers could see the ugly bruises clearly. Although it still looked bad, having Zayn near and stimulating the bonding gland had helped to not make it look as dire as before.

Both of the officers' eyes widened when they saw that, since that was the mark of only one thing: An Alpha attempting to claim and break another Alpha's reciprocal bond on an Omega without their consent. It was on par with second degree sexual assault against an Omega and it also meant jail time for an Alpha, no questions asked.

“And if he really _was_ my Alpha, why would his touch leave such a mark? He tried to break our bond and if it hadn't been for Zayn, my real Alpha standing up for me, things would have been much worse. I went into premature labour because of him.”

The first officer, a blondish haired man, scowled as he pulled out a camera and took pictures of the bruise itself. His partner, a tall black haired woman, was one step ahead of him and was already writing down everything that Liam was telling them.

“Why did he feel that he could attempt this? Were you two ever together?”

The blonde officer asked. Liam scrunched up his nose before replying.

“It is true that we were once together, but I left him when he put my head through a wall. Despite what he's said, Matthias Burkenwald hasn't ever had a claim on me. We were together, but he never bothered to fully bond me. If he is pressing charges, then I want to counterpress charges against him.”

Zayn couldn't help but to blink and close his mouth at how assertive Liam was being. Despite the less than ideal circumstances regarding the birth of his kits, he had still managed to keep his wits about him to answer the questions and plan a counter move. He only glanced at the officers to see what their reactions were and when he didn't see them reach for their handcuffs, he breathed a sigh of relief. Getting arrested in the delivery room wasn't how he wanted to remember his kits birth.

“There won't be any need of that. It's fairly clear by the evidence that Mr. Burkenwald is in the wrong and will face serious repercussions in regards to the attack on your person. Please forgive us the intrusion. Have a good evening.”

The blonde officer said as he put his phone away and waited for his partner to finish her notes.

Liam breathed a sigh of relief at that, but didn’t want for the officers to leave just yet.

“Will we need to appear in court in the future? Or file witness statement reports?”

The officers looked at each other before the blonde one replied.

“If he insists on pressing charges, but we don’t think that will be necessary. Not with other witness accounts we gathered. If we need you, you will get a call. Thank you again for your time.”

The second officer was the one that spoke, putting her notebook away and touching the brim of her cap before she and her partner exited the room, leaving a shocked Zayn and a grimly triumphant Liam behind.

“Figures he would do something like that, the asshole.” Liam muttered as the first kit finally decided that he had enough. Liam looked at Zayn and handed the kit to him then.

“He won't get away with it, though. Not from what they were saying.” Zayn noted as he stifled down his fear at holding his sleepy looking kit.

“What am I supposed to do with him?”

Liam rolled his eyes. “Burp him. Put him over your shoulder and pat him on the back. I can't do both of them at the same time, Zayn.”

Zayn blinked and Liam resisted the urge to snicker when his usually suave Alpha looked completely out of his depth as he gingerly placed his son over his shoulder and patted him carefully.

Liam noticed this and was about to make a comment on that when Zayn spoke up.

“We need to give them names, Li.”

Liam nodded as he looked down at the kit he held. “I know you want to raise them in your faith, so they should have names that reflect that.”

Zayn nodded as he still gingerly patted the back of his son. “Do you mind?”

Liam shook his head. “I want veto on the middle names, though.”

“Alright. Well…I was thinking maybe Sam for the one you’re holding and Danial for the one I’m holding. Would that work?”

Liam looked down at Sam, who was starting to get full and staring up at him with sleepy, hazy eyes. He knew that it was a concession on Zayn’s behalf. They were neutral enough to pass muster in both cultures and he knew that it was Zayn’s compromise to him for not making it a bitter fight as it otherwise would have been. Although he hadn’t spoken much of his past partners, Zayn had spoken of Perrie and how it had gotten serious enough between them to have that fight. Although the story hadn’t ever really been finished, Liam had heard enough to know that it had left deep wounds on both sides and had maybe even contributed in part to them not being together.

Although it was sad, Liam didn’t dwell on it overmuch. After all, if they hadn’t split up, he wouldn’t be here with Zayn and their kits. For them, he would always make the compromise. Especially when it meant so much for Zayn to pass that legacy on to his kits. He hadn't ever dreamed that they would be a part of his life, so he would do everything possible to not lose this unexpected, but much yearned for gift.

“Sam Javadd and Danial James Malik-Payne.” He tested out the names as he looked at Sam, who finally let go and smiled faintly at his dam. Although he logically knew that Sam was too young to actually smile, Liam still felt that it was a sign. He lifted Sam and carefully manoeuvred him onto his shoulder to burp him.

Zayn grinned, softening the expression of slight fear at burping Danial.

“You can go a little harder than that. Danial won't break, Zayn.” Liam told him as he did the same with Sam, patting him hard enough so that he burped.

Zayn obeyed, stopping when Danial let out a burp and a bit of spit up on his shirt.

The look on his face was priceless and Liam had to bite his lip to not laugh when he saw what had happened. And of course, it was that exact moment that their family decided to come back in again.

“So how are you both doing here?”

~*~*~*~*~

“So you're a sire now. How does it feel?”

Ed asked as he watched Zayn pat Sam's back while Danial slept in the bassinet that Liam's mum had bought for them as a homecoming present. Liam was in the bath, leaving Zayn alone with the kits for the first time ever and Zayn had to admit that he was slightly nervous. They were so small, his kits! He was afraid that he was going to accidentally hurt them or something. Despite Liam's assurances that wasn't going to happen and that Liam trusted him with them, he still couldn't shake the fear off completely.

“Like I'm carrying around dirty bombs or something. They're great, don't get me wrong, but I'm always worried that I'm going to do something stupid with them.”

Zayn admitted as he smoothed down the soft down on Sam's head. Ed made a small noise at seeing that tender gesture. He knew that Zayn wasn't kidding about being scared of holding his kits. But he also loved them. Fiercely and without reservations as he did with Liam and that made Ed realize exactly how much Zayn had changed in nearly a year. He had calmed down and matured to the point that Ed felt like the one that needed to catch up, something that he had never thought was going to happen.

Well, at least so soon, but he had to admit that it was for the better. Zayn had been on a dangerous spiral and finding Liam had completely moved him in a different direction. Even though he hadn't physically met Liam (Skype was good and all, but it wasn't the same as seeing the person in real life) when the chance happened, he would make sure to thank him for being able to help Zayn find a different goal in life other than hedonism and self-destruction.

“They're cute kids, from what I can see here.”

Ed commented, clearing his throat slightly to push back his own emotions at his own kit arriving soon. Tay had been fine, thank God. Yet, he couldn't help the concern that bubbled up in his chest over her. And seeing Zayn's gentleness with his kits made it even stronger.

“Don't sell yourself short, Sheeran. Taylor's a gorgeous Omega. Speaking of, how is she?”

Ed grinned, blushing slightly as he thought of his mate. “She's good. Finally got over the morning sickness and she's glowing...As cliché as it sounds, she really is. We still don't know the gender and I don't think I want to, to be honest.”

Zayn grinned, shifting up a sleepy Sam a bit to get him comfortable enough to drift off to sleep next to his brother.

“We didn't know with Sam and Danial. Wasn't a big deal. I just wanted healthy kits, considering everything that Liam went through. We got that, even if it was a little early. And on Halloween too.”

Ed laughed at that. “They're going to love that when they're older!”

Zayn made a wry face at that. “Depends on where they grow up. Liam and I haven't even thought about that bridge as of yet, with everything coming so soon.”

Ed's face got serious. “You are coming back to London though, right?”

Zayn nodded. “I have to. I've only got a six month visa. It's afterwards that we've not discussed. Liam doesn't want to move just yet. Not with the kits being so young. He was born in England. Wolverhampton, but he's only been back sporadically. I don't know how

Ed nodded. “Do you think he'd want to move back permanently to England though?”

Zayn bit his lip. “Don't know. I'll ask him. We still have a couple of months to talk about it and decide. I mean, it would make sense for us to go to back to England. But this is his home and after being here, I can understand why he'd not want to just up and leave right away. Not to mention his family. Yeah, they'd have my family there as an extended pride, but I know it's not the same.”

Zayn sighed and rubbed his face. “There's a whole lot of logistics to think of wherever we move, but until we've sat down and talked about it, I'm not going to speculate or make a decision. The only thing I do want is that we have some kind of plan hashed out before I go in the new year.”

Ed sat back in his chair and crossed his arms at that. “Sounds like you have the start of a workable plan in place. You're one step ahead there.”

Zayn gave him a wry look before checking up on Sam, who had finally given in to sleep. Zayn's eyes softened at the sight of his eyelashes fanning his cheekbones. Long lashes, even for a baby that were his gift to his child. But the shape of the bones underneath were Liam's and his breath caught a bit as he recalled the first time he had seen Liam's eyelashes resting on his cheekbones like so.

He had lucked out, in finding Liam that day. Both of them had. Liam had been alone and used to the worst that life could offer. While Zayn had been too damned close to the edge and without a clue as to how to back away from it. Things could have definitely been different if he hadn't gone to Dublin.

“Yeah. I know. I know.” Zayn repeated as he stood up, carefully cradling Sam to his chest.

“I'm going to put this one to bed and go look for Liam. Catch you later, Ed?”

Ed smiled. “For sure. Keep me posted on what you're planning, all right?”

“Sure thing. Have a good day, Ed.”

Zayn replied, ending the Skype session and waiting just a bit before shuffling over to the bassinet and gently depositing his kit beside his brother. Danial shifted a bit, but didn't wake as Sam joined him. Zayn paused to look at both of them for a moment, still in awe over the fact that he and Liam had created these two small and perfect human beings. He wondered if it ever got old, this awe that he felt whenever he looked at them. Maybe it never really did. It dawned on him that was why his mother and his  _baba_ looked at his sister and him like that when they thought that their children wouldn't notice. 

Shaking his head, he pulled the soft blanket over them and tucked them in securely, like Liam's mother had taught them. He stroked their cheeks with one finger before he straightened up and turned to see Liam standing in the doorway. There was a soft look on his face as he came in further into the room to give Zayn a kiss on the cheek and to lean over to look into the bassinet. He purred when he saw his kits, stroking their cheeks in the same manner as Zayn had done earlier before turning back to face his mate.

“You're fantastic with them. I think my sister is jealous.” Liam told him, making Zayn snort a laugh at the statement. It was true though, since the kits tended to fuss with others, but were like putty when it came to their sire and dam.

“It's my natural charisma.” Zayn deadpanned before biting back a moan when he felt Liam's mouth biting down on his shoulder.

“Hmm. You could be right. Want to test it out on me?” Liam whispered, his voice a throaty purr as he moved behind Zayn.

Zayn didn't hesitate to turn around and capture Liam in his arms.

“Gladly.”

He moved them to the bed, shedding his shirt, trackies, and Liam's towel as they went. Liam let out a soft sound of surprise when they landed on the bed, Zayn's weight landing heavily on him as they did. The sound turned into moans soon enough when Zayn trailed wet kisses down his chest and-

“Dear sweet God!”

The cry was torn out of him as he felt Zayn’s mouth wrapped around his dick and his fingers teasing and touching his entrance and his hole. It had been too damned long since they had that. Handjobs and blowjobs were all fine and dandy, but he craved having his Alpha properly mate him. And between healing and taking care of their kits and job hunting (He hadn’t told Zayn that part yet. The plan was still a bit nebulous in his mind) they hadn’t had a proper time together. Now that Sam and Danial were sleeping, the opportunity was ripe for the taking.

He threw his head back as Zayn kept sucking, licking and fingering him, bringing him to the edge, yet not completing the deed. Liam whimpered, putting his wrist to his mouth to stop his cries from waking up the kits. He would just die if-

“Are you ready?”

He nodded frantically, and in a blink of an eye, Zayn was inside of him, thrusting hard and fast. No finesse, but Liam didn’t want fancy. He only wanted for Zayn to be on top of him and fuck him until he didn’t know his own name. He missed the intimacy of their mating. He needed Zayn to give him bruises and mingle their scents together. To have the press of Zayn’s body as he fucked him into the mattress. 

All of it, he wanted it and needed it so badly that he was sobbing with relief at getting it. Hs legs locked around Zayn’s back and he canted his hips to meet up with every thrust, his wrist raw and bleeding as he bit down on it to muffle his cries until-

He was finished, coming after Zayn himself was had thrust hard into him, biting down on his mark and making Liam come with a sigh right after.

“Shit. Your wrist.” Zayn murmured, picking Liam’s wrist up and licking it clean, making Liam purr at the oddly intimate gesture.

“It’s fine. They didn’t wake up, did they?” Liam asked, making Zayn shift and look over at the kits.

“Still asleep.”

Liam sighed in relief.

“We’re going to need a shower, though.”

Liam shook his head. “We can wait. Let me enjoy this. It’s been too long.”

Zayn laughed softly. “As you wish.”

~*~*~*~*~*

Liam rocked softly, careful to not jostle Danial too much as he fed. His hands were a bit sweaty as he toyed with how he was going to bring up the fact that he had decided, quite on impulse, to follow Zayn to the UK. He had known, as he had idly looked for work in Britain that he wasn’t going to let his Alpha go. Even though ti was a short time that they had decided on, he knew that he couldn’t do it. Maybe it made him sound needy, but he couldn’t imagine his life without Zayn in it. He didn’t want for his kits to even miss a day with their Alpha and he knew, from the tightness around Zayn’s eyes that he couldn’t bear the idea either.

Despite racking his brains for a perfect time, it seemed like Zayn had already picked up on his thoughts.

“I think I’d better book my flight soon.” Zayn mused one day in late December as he lay with Sam on his chest while Liam sat nursing Danial in the loveseat. Liam glanced up and forced himself to remain neutral as he dropped his bomb.

“Hmm? Oh yeah. I already did it. For all of us. We’re leaving January 9th so we can maybe celebrate your birthday with Ed and your family.”

Zayn blinked up at Liam, unsure of what he had just heard.

“Why? I mean…I thought that you wanted to say here and nest with the boys a bit longer.”

Zayn pointed out, bewildered, but not angry at the turn of events. In fact, he was fucking ecstatic. He had dreaded the day that he would leave his pride. He had been shoring himself up to face it though, by spending as much time with them as possible when he wasn’t working and taking loads of pictures and videos. It wasn’t the same, but he figured that they would hold him over until he was able to return or Liam decided to bring them over to Bradford. There was simply no way that he would have them stay at his loft. Not with it being so woefully inadequate for kits.

Liam sighed before shrugging his shoulders and looking straight into Zayn’s eyes.

“I thought about it, but I honestly don’t want to be away from you. Yes, I stay here and I am glad that my nest is here…But the pride isn’t complete without you and I promised myself that if I could be with my Alpha and have a complete pride, I’d do it.”

Zayn tasted the truth in his words and exhaled loudly. “When did you decide this?”

“Last night. While you were sleeping. I...I found that I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t watch you walk away from me again. I didn’t want for the kits to lose the memory of your scent. I can work in the UK. I have dual citizenship. My family understands. In fact, it was my mother that suggested it.”

Liam admitted, his mouth twisting into a wry smile as he spoke. Zayn had to admit that he was glad that he had lucked out with his in-laws. He had toyed with bringing up the possibility of them moving up together, but hadn’t found the right time or the words to broach the topic with Liam.

“I don’t want to leave you guy either. I want you with me. I want more kits with you. I want all of this. I want you and I’m glad that you made the choice. I love you, Liam James Payne.”

He cleared his throat and sat up. If this was how things were going to be…He decided to drop a bomb of his own that he had been toying with for a while.

“In fact…Once we’re in Bradford…I want you as my legal mate. Will you do me the honour?”

Liam’s mouth opened and closed for a few moments as he tried to find the words, finally giving up and just nodding.

Zayn picked up Sam and walked over to Liam, capturing his mouth in a deep kiss.

“I love you, Liam. Always.”

“I love you, Zayn. Always.”

END.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liam and the cops-As much as we want to pretend that the law is colour blind, that's not the case always. Zayn would face prejudices and Liam is quite aware of this, so he plays the game. Yes, he and Zayn have a case, but Liam is quite aware that one misstep, it could go tits up.  
> Danial and Sam-I checked and these names are used in Pakistan. This is a compromise that Zayn makes to Liam as a meet you halfway, since you did the same for me. He also is fully aware of what BS his kits would go through as well.   
> Liam-We Canadian teachers get recruited to the UK to work quite a bit, so it's not out of the realm of possibility he'd go work there. He's got dual citizenship here, so it's easier for him and the kits legally wise to go back.   
> Zayn-It's honestly the last step for him to legally bind Liam to him. They have gone through so much...It made sense. They're common-law, more or less.

**Author's Note:**

> Setting-I've seen a ton of American 1D fics, so why not Canada? We share the same continent and I'm Canadian, so yeah.  
> Liam's work-It's obviously fairly exaggerated and let's just say it's pseudo, quasi, semi, sort of based on RL. Basically think of what would make a teaching position shit for an Omega and times it by 50.  
> Louis and Niall-The mates that I would dearly love to have by my side always. If you have a good co-worker and mate, you can get through hell, I have found.  
> Fernando Torres-I needed a name and a body. Although it would be fairly hot to see Liam and Nando, I think. *Shrugs*  
> Zayn-I picture him sort of like Basquiat in that he's tremendously talented, but has a mean streak and is pretty close to self destructing. His art is more like the poppy stuff of Roy Lichestein.


End file.
